Western and Afghan officials say Tehran is increasing the funding and supplies it has been giving to the Taliban and is recruiting and training foreign fighters inside Iran's own borders.
A Taliban commander named Abdullah told The Wall Street Journal that after he was detained for working illegally in Iran, an Iranian intelligence officer approached him and said he would double his salary if he would work for him in Afghanistan. Now, Abdullah receives a salary of $580 a month and "Iran supplies us with whatever we need," smuggling in items like machine guns, 82mm mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, and materials for bomb-making.
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