A Taliban commander has told Sky News the bulk of its funding comes from the UK, where dedicated fighters are ready to launch terrorist attacks upon his order.
We are not like a government, we depend on individuals. We get donations from our Muslim brothers in Britain for Jihad. It is the duty of all Muslims to pay towards fighting Jihad. This is how we get our money and buy our weapons and carry on fighting.
Taliban regional commander
The regional leader made the claims at a secret meeting after we travelled deep into bandit country under the cover of darkness.
Far beyond the reach of any government or military authority, we drove through river beds and over passes into the mountains that divide Afghanistan and Pakistan.
This is Kunar province where the Taliban reign supreme and where, after months of negotiation, we were told we would meet the commander and his commando platoon.
Unsure what to expect, we were kept in a compound until late at night. Through the gloom the first shadowy figures appeared [...]
The commander revealed they are funded by individual donations gathered in community centres and mosques around the world. It was then he claimed, remarkably, Britain is the Taliban's greatest source of revenue.
"We are not like a government, we depend on individuals. We get donations from our Muslim brothers in Britain for Jihad," he said.
"It is the duty of all Muslims to pay towards fighting Jihad. This is how we get our money and buy our weapons and carry on fighting.Taliban regional commanderWe send a message to all foreign nations that we will attack them at any time. It could be in the next two weeks or it could be today, tomorrow or the day after. We will attack Britain as well. We have trustworthy people who will listen to us and are waiting for our orders.
"Our brothers are rich in Britain and in Pakistan and they send the money to our leaders who distribute it to us and we use it for what we need to keep fighting."
How far the reach of the Taliban spreads beyond Afghanistan's borders is hotly disputed. But the commander claimed they have people in Britain, America and Europe who are prepared to attack. Not exactly sleeper cells, but very dangerous nonetheless.
"We send a message to all foreign nations that we will attack them at any time. It could be in the next two weeks or it could be today, tomorrow or the day after," he said.
"We will attack Britain as well," he added. "We have trustworthy people who will listen to us and are waiting for our orders."
