Pakistan stands accused of facilitating the Taleban takeover of Afghanistan, says former British commander there.

The Taliban could not have sustained its campaign or secured victory in Afghanistan without the active support of Pakistan, a former Commander of the British Army in Afghanistan claimed.

Colonel Richard Kemp also raised concerns over jihadist elements getting control of nuclear material in Pakistan to add to its arsenal of weaponry.

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 Addressing an online conference by Media Central, Col. Kemp, who led troops on the front lines of Afghanistan and Iraq, said: “Pakistan created the Taliban, funded the Taliban and supported the Taliban”.
 

He continued: “Taliban would not have been able to sustain for 20 years without Pakistan’s support or carry out the campaign that they did or secure victory without it.”

Col. Kemp also considered Pakistan may have endangered itself. “The existence of a Jihadist state next door will also present great dangers to Pakistan”.
 

“One of the biggest threats we considered during the Afghanistan campaign, or the threat of Taliban winning, was the potential for them taking over control, or getting access to some of the nuclear facilities or nuclear weapons facilities in Pakistan”, said Col. Kemp.

 “That’s the significant threat that shouldn’t be forgotten — of terrorists getting armed with nuclear material. I am not suggesting that they will necessarily use them as nuclear missiles but the material itself could be used to weaponise Taliban or Jihadists in Afghanistan”, Kemp added.

The former British army officer also accused Iran, China and Russia of supporting the Taliban while describing India as a possible constructive player in the region which is likely to be kept out of the developments.

“Iran has also played a significant role in funding and equipping the Taliban and has directly contributed to this victory. They supported, assisted, funded and armed Jihadists, particularly to run the campaign to kill the US and British forces in Afghanistan”, Col. Kemp alleged.

He said China, which has a 100-mile border with Afghanistan into an area where it has been suppressing Muslims, had paid the Taliban to chase and kill rebel leaders. He said he expected China to “plunder” Afghanistan’s resources.