That said, his influence on Taliban policy is relatively minor. Given American focus on his activities, such as his role in the East African embassy bombings and Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, his role in Afghanistan s ongoing civil conflict has been overlooked. His troops have committed atrocities, destroying homes and crops, and murder and rape against Sunni Afghans. Sirrs estimated that the total of Arab fighters in Afghanistan might be as high as several thousand. Iran is the sole major backer of the United Opposition.
Iranian aid consists mostly of small arms, ammunition and cash.
Other areas of assistance include uniforms and medical supplies. An important distinction about this aid is that it is donated by Iran. Iranian cash donations supplement the opposition s other sources of revenue, including the mining of precious stones, customs receipts and printing its own currency. For Iran, the question of Afghanistan is a national security issue. In addition to collateral problems such as the nearly one million Afghan refugees in Iran, Iran is increasingly alarmed by the growing violence associated with drug smuggling from Afghanistan, now the world s largest producer of opium.