Insurgents supplying Taliban intel to NATO: Officials

[Robb]

Source: Reuters (via Toronto Sun)

KABUL - A militant Afghan group is supplying intelligence on the Taliban to government and foreign troops leading to the capture or death of several commanders in the north, senior officials have said.

In what could signal a split within the insurgency, Hezb-i-Islami fighters have been tipping off U.S. and Afghan forces over the past few months, revealing locations of key Taliban figures in Baghlan and Kunduz provinces, said General Murad Ali Murad, commander of Afghan troops in the north.

“We get intelligence on the Taliban’s whereabouts and movements, especially their commanders, from members of Hezb-i-Islami,” Murad told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“The flow of intelligence is working very well. It really helps us eliminate those who pose a serious security threat,” said Murad, who commands the 209th Army Corps in northern Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/07/08/14643931.html

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Either true, which means we've come to a dollar number Hezb-i-Islami and Petraeus can agree upon; or false, meant to screw with Hekmatyar and put a bigger target on his back.

Either way, good news.

[Alamuti Lotus]

1. Hekmatyar was the first warlord overthrown by the Taliban in the first place

Shocked, shocked to hear that there still may be bad blood there.. but with apologies to your burst bubble, the virtually anonymous report is probably more "influence operations" aimed at keeping the cheerleaders back on the home front peppy.

[Robb]

2. LOL

OK. :hi: