LSE study finds ISI runs Taliban

Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) provides funding, training and sanctuary at an unprecedented level to the Taliban in Afghanistan, claims a new study by the London School of Economics released on Sunday.

The study, by Harvard University analyst, Mr Matt Waldman for London School of Economics, makes it clear that Pakistani support to the Taliban goes far beyond what was previously thought.

A majority of members of the 15-man Quetta Shura, the Taliban’s supreme leadership council, are believed to be ISI agents — and they have a major influence on Taliban strategy and policy.

“Interviews strongly suggest that the ISI has representatives on the shura, either as participants or observers, and the agency is thus involved at the highest levels of the movement,” according to the LSE study. The study highlights real evidence of extensive cooperation between the Taliban and the ISI, which is shown to have “even greater sway over Haqqani insurgents” led by Jalaluddin Haqqani, whose outfit is suspected of carrying out strikes on the Indian embassy in Kabul in July 2008 and October 2009.

In London, the BBC, SkyNews and the Sunday Times reported that the study, based on interviews with nine Taliban field commanders in Afghanistan earlier this year, also accuses Pakistan of appearing to play a double game of “astonishing magnitude”.

Speaking exclusively to this newspaper, Mr Waldman said Pakistan’s support for the Afghan Taliban was “official ISI policy” and noted that its influence extends to the top Taliban leadership.