A secret U.S. military report claims the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, are set to retake control over Afghanistan when NATO-led forces withdraw from the country.<\/span><\/p>\n The State of the Taliban report, compiled by U.S. forces, said Pakistan’s powerful security agency – the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) – was assisting the Taliban in directing attacks against foreign forces.<\/span><\/p>\n It is a damning assessment of the war, now dragging into its eleventh year and which has already seen nearly 3,000 service personnel killed – 1,846 U.S. and 390 British<\/span><\/p>\n The report could heap further pressure on British Prime Minister David Cameron, and U.S. President Barack Obama, as they face strengthened calls to withdraw troops earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n It could also reinforce the view of Taliban hardliners that the group should not negotiate peace with the U.S. and President Hamid Karzai’s unpopular government while in a position of strength.<\/span><\/p>\n The report, seen by The Times newspaper, said: ‘Though the Taliban suffered severely in 2011, its strength, motivation, funding and tactical proficiency remains intact.<\/span><\/p>\n ‘Many Afghans are already bracing themselves for an eventual return of the Taliban.’<\/span><\/p>\n It was compiled from the interrogation of more than 4,000 Taliban and al Qaeda detainees at Bagram air base in Afghanistan.<\/span><\/p>\n The detainees have revealed that Pakistan employs a network of spies and go-betweens to give strategic advice to the Taliban, The Times reported.<\/span><\/p>\n ‘The Government of Pakistan remains intimately involved with the Taliban,’ the report says.<\/span><\/p>\n ‘ISI is thoroughly aware of Taliban activities and the whereabouts of all senior Taliban personnel.<\/span><\/p>\n ‘Senior Taliban leaders meet regularly with ISI personnel, who advise on strategy and relay any pertinent concerns of the Government of Pakistan.’<\/span><\/p>\n Militant groups on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan provide electronics, explosives and suicide vests to the Taliban, with one detainee claiming: ‘The Taliban are not Islam. The Taliban are Islamabad.’<\/span><\/p>\n The allegations have drawn a strong response from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.<\/span><\/p>\n Spokesman Abdul Basit said: ‘This is frivolous, to put it mildly. We are committed to non-interference in Afghanistan.’<\/span><\/p>\n Large swathes of Afghanistan have already been handed back to Afghan security forces, with the last foreign combat troops due to leave by the end of 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n But many Afghans doubt their army, security forces or police will be able to take firm control of one of the world’s most volatile countries once foreign combat troops leave.<\/span><\/p>\n The accusations will likely further strain ties between the West and Islamabad, which has long denied backing militant groups seeking to topple the U.s.-backed government in Kabul.<\/span><\/p>\n Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar is visiting Kabul today on a mission to repair strained diplomatic ties with Afghanistan’s government and to meet Karzai to discuss possible peace talks with the Taliban.<\/span><\/p>\n Ties between Pakistan and the U.S. are at a low after a series of setbacks since the raid that Osama bin Laden in May last year and humiliated Pakistan’s powerful generals.<\/span><\/p>\n A cross-border NATO air strike in November which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers deepened the crisis, prompting Islamabad to suspend supply routes into Afghanistan.<\/span><\/p>\n Islamabad has resisted U.S. pressure to after insurgent groups like the Taliban and the Haqqani network, arguing the West overlooks complex realities on the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n The Pentagon has long been concerned over perceived ties between elements of the ISI and extremist networks.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the presence of 100,000 foreign troops, violence in Afghanistan is at its worst since the Taliban were ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in 2001, according to the UN.<\/span><\/p>\n Earlier this month, the Taliban announced it would open a political office in the Qatari capital Doha to hold peace talks with the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n But there have also efforts to set up talks in Saudi Arabia because Mr Karzai believes his government could be sidelined.<\/span><\/p>\n