U.S. Intelligence: Iran Has Supplied Taliban With Surface-to-Air Missiles, Helicopters At Risk

The British are more than a little concerned about the fact that U.S. intelligence services are reporting that the Taliban have some of the SA-14 Gremlins surface-to-air missiles which can easily bring down British, NATO and American helicopters - those SA-14 missiles have been supplied to the Taliban by Iran. Here's some of the details from Times Online:

IRAN is supplying the Taliban in Afghanistan with surface-to-air missiles capable of destroying a helicopter, according to American intelligence sources.
They believe the Taliban wants to use the SA-14 Gremlins missiles to launch a “spectacular” attack against coalition forces in Helmand, where insurgents claim to be gaining the upper hand.
Although British and American helicopters operating in southern Afghanistan are equipped with defensive systems to deflect an attempted strike, the SA-14 can evade such counter-measures.
It was a shoulder-held SA-14 supplied by Iran that was used by Iraqi insurgents to shoot down a Lynx helicopter over Basra in May 2006.

Now, we hear all the time that the Iranians are no friend of the Taliban - with Iranians being staunch Shias and the Taliban following the most extreme version of Sunni islam in the form of Wahhabism. But the fact of the matter is that the Iranians will work with ANYONE when it comes to defeating western infidel forces. It is a known fact that Iranian IED materials have been shipped into Afghanistan to help the Taliban be more effective in their roadside bombs.

And this latest news changes everything - the Apaches in the skies of Afghanistan OWN the Taliban - the Taliban have even admitted in the past that they would be in a lot better position in the country if it wasn't for the American helicopters. If you look at Taliban casualties in Afghanistan, I would say that at least 75% of those are do to air support from the U.S. or NATO.

If the SA-14 can evade defenses by the Apaches and other helicopters on the NATO side, this could cause huge problems and of course, lead to some heavy casualties on our side - not to mention the propaganda wedge for the Taliban. And this is just reason #127 for turning the country of Iran into a smooth, shiny plane of glass.

Missile threat to British troops

Although the Iranians are not natural supporters of the Taliban, they have been willing to assist them in the past in order to prevent Britain and the United States gaining influence in the region.
Special forces have previously intercepted arms shipments from Iran that would have helped the Taliban intensify a roadside bombing campaign that has killed 40 British troops over the past 18 months, including three last week.
However, coalition forces only became aware of the presence of SA14s two weeks ago when parts from two of them were discovered during an American operation in western Afghanistan.
“The weapons are out there and we thought it was only a matter of time before they got one or two into the south,” said a defence source. “A Taliban spectacular against British or American troops would reinforce an increasing view among ordinary Afghans that the Taliban are gaining the upper hand.”
In the past eight months, small arms and rocket-pro-pelled grenade attacks on British helicopters in Helmand have increased. Last night the Ministry of Defence said it was not aware of any threat from SA14 missiles.