Pak security agencies helping Afghan Taliban: Report

Pakistan security agencies are helping the Taliban in Afghanistan and Islamabad knows the location of senior Taliban leaders, BBC reported Wednesday citing a secret NATO report.

The report that has been prepared from thousands of interrogations says that the Taliban have wide support among the Afghan people.

It alleges that Pakistan knows the locations of senior Taliban leaders.
Pakistan has previously denied any links with the Taliban.

"We have long been concerned about ties between elements of the ISI and some extremist networks," said US Pentagon spokesperson Captain John Kirby, adding that the US Defence Department had not seen the report.

A BBC correspondent in Kabul said the report exposes for the first time the relationship between the Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Taliban.

The report said: "Pakistan's manipulation of the Taliban senior leadership continues unabatedly."

"As this document is derived directly from insurgents it should be considered informational and not necessarily analytical," the report added.

Lt Col Jimmie Cummings, a spokesperson for International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, said the document was "a classified internal document that is not meant to be released to the public".

"It is a matter of policy that documents that are classified are not discussed under any circumstances," he was quoted as saying.