Afghan official: 60% Taliban militants foreigners

KABUL, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan Defense Minister General Abdul Rahim Wardak has claimed that 60 percent of the Taliban insurgents are consisted of foreigners, a local newspaper reported Thursday.

"Over 60 percent of anti-government militants are foreign nationals," daily Arman-e-Millie quoted the Defense Minister as saying.

However, the defense minister did not specify the nationalities of the militants.

The newspaper also quoted the Defense Minister as saying that these insurgents are mostly active in the restive Helmand province where three districts of Baghran, Washir and Mianashin despite around 8,000 British troops stationed there.

According to Afghan Defense Ministry, around 15,000 Taliban rebels are currently fighting in Afghanistan and the numbers were being swelled by foreign insurgents moving in from Iraq.

"Since last year, as the result of the success of the surge in Iraq, there has been a flow of foreign terrorists into Afghanistan," Wardak said, adding that foreign nationals mostly from the Arab countries, Uzbeks, Chechen and Pakistanis were seen siding Taliban insurgents in the past.