Al-Qaida and the Taliban have quietly shipped large quantities of gold from Pakistan to Sudan in recent weeks, it was reported today.
European, Pakistani and US agents told The Washington Post that most of the valuable cargo passed through Iran and the UAE.
The gold, usually disguised as other products, was taken by small boat from the Pakistani port of Karachi to either Iran or Dubai, and from there mixed with other goods and flown on chartered planes to Khartoum, the Sudanese capital.
It was not clear exactly how much gold had been moved, but US and European officials said it was a significant quantity and showed al-Qaida and the deposed Taliban still had access to large financial reserves.
The Western agents also said it pointed to the growing role of hard-liners in Iran in protecting al-Qaida; the potential re-emergence of Sudan as a financial centre for the network; and the ability of the terrorists to find new sources of revenue despite the global crackdown on their finances.
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