Wednesday, December 23, 2015

A Russian - Afghan Taliban Alliance Against The Islamic State?

In this photograph taken on November 3, 2015, Afghan Taliban fighters listen to Mullah Mohammad Rasool Akhund (unseen), the newly appointed leader of a breakaway faction of the Taliban, at Bakwah in the western province of Farah. © Javed Tanveer, AFP

Washington Post: Russia is sharing information with the Taliban to fight the Islamic State

MOSCOW — A Kremlin official said Wednesday that Russia was exchanging information with the Taliban, the Islamist insurgency that the United States has been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001, as a bulwark against the spread of the Islamic State militant group in that country.

Zamir Kabulov, a Foreign Ministry department head and President Vladimir Putin's special representative for Afghanistan, told the Interfax news agency that “the Taliban interest objectively coincides with ours” in the fight against the Islamic State, which has captured broad swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq.

“I have already said earlier that we and the Taliban have channels for exchanging information,” Kabulov added, in remarks reported by Interfax and confirmed to The Washington Post by a ministry spokesman.

WNU Editor: The enemy of my enemy is my friend .... but in this case I am not sure that such a rule can even be applied.

More News On The Kremlin Confirming That It is Exchanging Intelligence With The Taliban

Russia's interests coincide with Taliban's in fight against ISIS: agency cites diplomat -- Reuters
Russia and Taliban Have Joint Interest to Fight IS — Foreign Ministry -- Moscow Times
Russia's interests coincide with Taliban's on fighting IS group -- France 24
Russian Diplomat: Moscow's Interests Coincide With Taliban's In Fight Against IS -- RFI
Russia to exchange information with Taliban in fight against ISIS -- Khaama Press

4 comments:

James said...

There is a chance the guy in the right foreground of the above photo was US trained. Look at the placement of his trigger finger. Also his personal gear.

Unknown said...

James,

I tend to agree.

However, if people study other militaries enough they could pick it up on their own.

Bob Huntley said...

Or he could be signing the number 1. That's a long finger. Wonder if he plays piano in his old life?

James said...

Good catch Bob! I had to really look at it again to convince myself it wasn't a photoshop. Great great grandson of Eubie Blake.