The Sun in the Sky: the relationship between Pakistan's ISI and Afghan insurgents
Author(s) : Matt Waldman
Date : June 2010
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Press release:
Taliban commanders inside Afghanistan believe that their organisations, and the war efforts they are currently undertaking, are closely managed by the Pakistani intelligence service, the ISI. This was the key finding of this report authored by Matt Waldman, Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, published this week in the Discussion Papers series of the LSE's Crisis States Research Centre.
Centre Director, Professor James Putzel, commented, "This report is based on research carried out inside Afghanistan, including interviews with important Taliban commanders, who clearly believe that they are being 'run' by Pakistan's intelligence service. The prevalence of such beliefs among the insurgents themselves and the critical stance they take towards the relationship between their leadership networks and elements of the Pakistani military and intelligence services may prove to be important as Afghans continue to explore the prospects for reaching a peace agreement. We believe the publication of these findings can advance the public and policy debates about the prospects for peace and development in Afghanistan".
"That Taliban commanders and a wider group of Afghans close to the insurgency believe that the highest levels of Pakistan's government are actively involved in protecting and sustaining the insurgency presents a great challenge to senior Pakistani civilian and military officials to demonstrate their commitment to reaching a peace settlement", Putzel said. "After all, the costs of this conflict in the lives of civilians and soldiers in Pakistan itself will continue to increase until a lasting peace is reached on both sides of the border".