Pakistan’s ISI Has Deeply Penetrated Kabul: Sources Close To Amrullah Saleh | Exclusive

Last Updated:January 11, 2025, 20:24 IST

Removing ‘Indian proximity sentiments’ from Afghan media are allegedly a prime objective of the ISI in Kabul

Former Afghanistan Vice President Amrullah Saleh. (File image: AFP)

There are more than 150 Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials in the Pakistani embassy in Kabul, claims Afghanistan Green Trend (AGT) and the country’s former vice president Amrullah Saleh.

The Taliban taking power in Kabul was a major victory for Islamabad, Saleh says.

According to him, immediately after the Taliban came into power, the ISI deployed its covert and overt cadres in Kabul.

This cadre is allegedly to safeguard Pakistan’s interests and spread terror across the world.

There is a presence of ISI cadres in all provinces, including Kabul, Kandahar, Mazar, Jalalabad, and Panjshir, says Saleh.

Removing “Indian proximity sentiments" from Afghan media are allegedly a prime objective of the ISI in Kabul.

CNN-News18 has a list of 166 ISI operatives in Kabul.

“These officers are in suits and salwar kameez in Kabul and in long beards in close proximity to the Taliban," said a source close to Saleh. “These ISI officers are close to Mullah Abdul Kabir, Mullah Jawad Tajmir, Maulvi Nadeem, Mali Khan, and the senior militias associated with Siraj Haqqani. In 2022, the ISI facilitated a financial payment of US $500,000 for Fasehuddin Fetrat, to procure a residence in Kabul. Earlier also in the Republic era, the ISI had orchestrated his medical evacuation via helicopter from Chitral."

These engagements with prominent Taliban figures were strategically cultivated to ensure Pakistan’s control over decision-making processes within the Taliban’s governance structure, sources say.

For dealing with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the ISI used the services of Taqi Usmani, a prominent religious authority.

Usmani, a Karachi-based scholar, had previously endorsed jihad against Afghanistan.

He functions with financial backing from a largely secular establishment and intelligence operatives.

The primary objective of these negotiations was to mitigate the threat of TTP assaults within Pakistan.

This resulted in a ceasefire during the tenure of Prime Minister Imran Khan, colloquially dubbed “Taliban Khan".

Members from the Special Services Group (SSG) are within the Panjshir valley, dedicated to aiding the Taliban in their sniper operations against resistance fighters in 2022.

This unit was not merely instructional but actively engaged in combat operations, ensuring the effective suppression of any opposition to Taliban control.

“In the summer of 2022, with strategic support from the SSG team, more than 60 resistance fighters were killed by sniper fire," said a source.

According to sources close to Saleh, the ISI amplified the deployment of covert operatives within the various institutions and charitable organisations established by Pakistan in Afghanistan, including landmarks like Jinnah Hospital in Kabul and Balkh University in Mazar-i-Sharif.

It facilitated the establishment and activities of Pakistani NGOs under the cover of humanitarian aid but primarily for the acquisition of crucial intelligence.

The ISI has penetrated the Afghan Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ATRA) with the intent of amassing essential data pivotal to safeguarding Pakistan’s national security interests.

In their pursuit of these aims, they wield substantial influence over both the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) and the ministry of culture.

The ISI engages in amateur but relentless surveillance of the embassies of Russia, Iran, Qatar, and, more recently in August 2022, India in Kabul.

An extensive network of mullahs in northern Afghanistan receive stipends from the ISI.

As the issue with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) escalated, the ISI endeavoured to organise tribal jirgas to counteract the TTP’s influence.

But the ISI succeeded in obtaining a subtly worded anti-TTP fatwa from the Taliban’s supreme judicial body.

Top Indian intelligence sources say that these are strong claims by Amrullah Saleh with documents.

“It’s over to the Taliban to find out these operatives and remove them from their soil," said a source. “They have promised the world that their soil won’t be used ever for any clandestine activity. The Taliban should find them and unmask the real minds behind them."

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