.Iranian weapons cache found in Afghanistan: US
WASHINGTON — Afghan security forces have found a cache of weapons manufactured in Iran but it remains unclear whether it indicates a renewed effort by Tehran to aid insurgents, the Pentagon said Thursday.
The weapons seized last month in western Herat province included rockets, firing devices for bombs and powerful armor-piercing explosives known as explosively-formed penetrators (EFPs), the Defense Department said.
"They arrested two individuals at the time affiliated with this particular weapons cache," spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.
It was unclear when the weapons were ferried into Afghanistan and whether the Tehran government played a role in shipping the arms, Whitman said.
It was the first discovery of a cache of Iranian-manufactured weapons in Afghanistan since 2007, the spokesman said.
The weapons cache was "troubling," given that improvised explosives are the main cause of casualties among US and other international forces, he said.
Washington has long charged Iran with sending arms to insurgents in Afghanistan but on a relatively small scale.
Asked if the US administration had changed its view about Iran's activities in Afghanistan, Whitman said: "I think the view remains the same in that it continues to play a destablizing role in the region."
In June, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates accused Iran of playing a "double game" in Afghanistan, professing to want good ties with Kabul while undermining NATO-led efforts to provide security.
"They are an important trading partner for Afghanistan, they profess to have warm relations with the Afghan government," Gates said.
"At the same time, they're sending in a relatively modest level of weapons and capabilities to attack ISAF (NATO's International Security Assistance Force) and coalition forces."
Shiite Iran had hostile relations with the Sunni Muslim Taliban regime when it held power in Kabul between 1996 and 2001.
Despite decades of animosity, Iran and the United States cooperated on Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks and during the subsequent US-led invasion.
However their collaboration was short-lived, ending in 2003 after former US president George W. Bush branded Iran part of an "axis of evil."
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If we were to carpet bomb someplace, how about the factory where they produce EFP's
The weapons seized last month in western Herat province included rockets, firing devices for bombs and powerful armor-piercing explosives known as explosively-formed penetrators (EFPs), the Defense Department said.
"They arrested two individuals at the time affiliated with this particular weapons cache," spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.
It was unclear when the weapons were ferried into Afghanistan and whether the Tehran government played a role in shipping the arms, Whitman said.
It was the first discovery of a cache of Iranian-manufactured weapons in Afghanistan since 2007, the spokesman said.
The weapons cache was "troubling," given that improvised explosives are the main cause of casualties among US and other international forces, he said.
Washington has long charged Iran with sending arms to insurgents in Afghanistan but on a relatively small scale.
Asked if the US administration had changed its view about Iran's activities in Afghanistan, Whitman said: "I think the view remains the same in that it continues to play a destablizing role in the region."
In June, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates accused Iran of playing a "double game" in Afghanistan, professing to want good ties with Kabul while undermining NATO-led efforts to provide security.
"They are an important trading partner for Afghanistan, they profess to have warm relations with the Afghan government," Gates said.
"At the same time, they're sending in a relatively modest level of weapons and capabilities to attack ISAF (NATO's International Security Assistance Force) and coalition forces."
Shiite Iran had hostile relations with the Sunni Muslim Taliban regime when it held power in Kabul between 1996 and 2001.
Despite decades of animosity, Iran and the United States cooperated on Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks and during the subsequent US-led invasion.
However their collaboration was short-lived, ending in 2003 after former US president George W. Bush branded Iran part of an "axis of evil."
If we were to carpet bomb someplace, how about the factory where they produce EFP's
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