Taliban money trail from Pakistan to United Arab Emirates

Profits from the herion trade is not the only source of taliban funding. There is growing concern that the taliban are receiving funds through hawalas (money brokers) in the United Arab Emirates. Many business owners from the Pashtun tribal areas operate offices in Dubai and the free trade zone of Jebel Ali.

Taliban leaders such as Mullah Abdul Razaq, Mullah Abdul Rahim and Mullah Rozi receive payments from the business owners through the hawalas. If the business owners do not pay out to the taliban, then their businesses are threatened with violence. AKI

Karachi, 9 Oct. (AKI) - Since the Pakistani border city of Chaman and the Afghan city of Kandahar play a pivotal role in financing the Taliban's operations in southeastern Afghanistan, there is growing speculation that the Taliban is funnelling money through hawalas or money brokers in the United Arab Emirates where Chaman and Kandhari businessmen trade.

Many Chaman businesses have offices in Dubai and the port city and free trade zone of Jebel Ali, and insiders say that the Taliban have convinced local businessmen to move their money through hawalas to Taliban leaders including Mullah Abdul Razaq, Mullah Abdul Rahim and Mullah Rozi, and several others.

Mullah Abdul Razaq, a resident of the Pakistani town of Chaman and former minister of interior affairs in the deposed Taliban regime, is considered a key player in the suspected money trail from the region to the Middle East.

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In 2005, the FBI investigated a prominent Pakistani hawala and his offices were closed across the country because his network was found to have been involved in money laundering for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

But since the money trail is so difficult to trace through the undocumented hawala transactions, the money changer was eventually cleared.

When Mullah Abdul Razaq returned to the Taliban's fold in 2005, he convinced businesses in Chaman to support the Taliban financially in order to spare their businesses from attacks when they transported goods through Afghanistan.

Over 3,500 importers and exporters in the Chaman market who transport their goods to the UAE were threatened with a wave of violence.[...]

Mullah Abdul Razaq, once again convinced the businessmen of Chaman to support the Taliban financially so that their transport and hotel businesses would be spared from attacks.