Rome, October 16: Italy has blasted a new report in UK’s daily newspaper The Times in which Italian government has been accused of Taliban links in order to escape attacks.
Italian Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa told reporters on Thursday that his government intends to prosecute “The Times” for the publication of alleged ties between Italian intelligence service and Taliban warlords in areas formerly under Italian control in Afghanistan.
According to The Times’ report, American secret service intercepted confidential communications in which the Italian agents have been caught paying off tens of thousands of Dollars to Taliban militant leaders in an effort to curb insurgence in the restive areas.
“The report we paid the Taliban not to be attacked is first of all offensive for the dead we have suffered in Afghanistan, and I can confirm that not only the Defense Ministry but not any other governmental body has ever worked in the way that the Times has described,” La Russa said, slamming the British newspaper over the bribery allegations.
“No government has ever worked in the way The Times has described,” opined the Defence Minister, adding elsewhere, “I find it hateful that this newspaper seems to be repeatedly running a campaign of anti-Italianism, using all sorts of rubbish without checking. They just publish the report.”
Italy’s buying-off charges gain more ground after a ‘The Times’ report implicated the Italian forces of indirectly causing the deaths of ten French service members who took over Italian forces in the volatile regions without the prior knowledge of the ‘deal.’
The case became a source of embarrassment for Italians and stirred controversy in France with the French military spokesperson reacting in astonishment on the latest revelations.
“French, Turkish and Italian forces openly share information, so there was a climate of trust and transparency. We have no information at this time that allows us to confirm the Times report,” Euronews quoted army spokesperson Christophe Prazuck as saying.
The paper went further in its assault on the Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s government and apparently said that US ambassador to Italy has objected to Italy’s secret involvement with the Afghan insurgents.
US authorities have so far refrained to act in response to the latest episode.
Meanwhile, the British paper defended its report and said in a swift rebuttal, “The reason we know about those payments is because the US intelligence services, according to our sources inside NATO, managed to tap phone conversations between insurgent commanders and Italian intelligence agents,” Times journalist Tom Coghlan noted.
The paper adds that the alleged deal was struck last year in an attempt to safeguard Italian troops then patrolling eastern premises of the Afghan capital of Kabul.
—–Agencies