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Iran Denies Any Link To Weapons Uncovered In Afghanistan


Afghanistan - Weapons discovered in Ghazni province. Photo distributed by Afghan police on December 9, 2018
Afghanistan - Weapons discovered in Ghazni province. Photo distributed by Afghan police on December 9, 2018

Tehran's embassy in Kabul has officially denied accusations that arms and ammunition recently discovered in the province of Ghazni in Afghanistan are related to Iran.

Ghazni governor and police chief said, in a clearing operation on the outskirts of Ghazni city, security forces gained access to a Taliban hideout, where they recovered Iran-made weapons.

“Around nine light weapons, which have been recovered by the security forces are made in Iran,” Wahidullah Kalimzai, Ghazni governor said on December 9.

Speaking to RFE/RL Afghan Service, Radio Azadi, Ghazni's police chief, Brig Gen. Ghulam Daud Tarakhel also confirmed December 10 that a significant amount of weaponry and ammunition made in Iran have recently been discovered in a house in Ghazni.

“The weapons, as you see, are very new. They were in the hands of militants and are made in Iran. The weapons were brought here for the continuation of war,” Ghulam Daud Tarakhil, Ghazni police chief told reporters. It appears both officials were speaking about the same event.

It is not the first time that Afghan officials are attributing discovered ammunition and weapons to the Islamic Republic. Local Afghan officials have often accused Iran of supplying arms to the Taliban, but they have rarely produced the evidence.

Earlier, Pentagon and the U.S. State Department had gone all out on November 29, to show that Iran is breaking United Nations resolutions by aggressively sending arms to rebel groups in the region.

The collection of weapons on display included pieces of what the Pentagon said were Iranian weapons transferred to militants in Yemen and Afghanistan.He also pointed out "Iran's relentless commitment to put more weapons into the hands of even more of its proxies regardless of the sufferings."

However, Tehran has repeatedly denied that it is supporting ultraconservative Sunni group, Taleban, in Afghanistan.

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