Iran is playing ‘double game’ in Afghanistan: Gates

By DPA,

Brussels: Iran is playing a double game in Afghanistan, supporting the Taliban while proclaiming its friendship to the Afghan regime, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.


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“Iran is playing a bit of a double game in Afghanistan… They profess to have warm relations with the Afghan government, at the same time they are sending in what I would describe as a relatively modest level of weapons and capabilities to attack (Western)forces,” Gates said after talks with NATO counterparts in Brussels.

“I think they are trying to do what they can to hurt us and to hurt our allies and partners in Afghanistan, which also ends up hurting the Afghan people,” he said.

Gates was speaking after NATO defence ministers agreed to streamline the alliance’s system for training the Afghan army, and immediately ahead of presidential polls in Iran.

He would not comment on the Iranian election, saying that “no matter who is elected, we would wait to see which policy is followed by this person”.

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