A secret US military report suggests that the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, are set to retake control of Afghanistan after NATO-led forces withdraw from the country.
Lt Col Jimmie Cummings, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, confirmed the document's existence but said it was not a strategic study of operations.
The Times newspaper reported this morning that that Pakistan's security agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was assisting the Taliban in directing attacks against foreign forces.
The allegations drew a strong response from Pakistani Foreign Ministry.
The Times has said that the "highly classified" report was put together by the US military at Bagram air base in Afghanistan for top NATO officers last month.
The BBC has also carried a report on the leaked document.
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.
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.
The US embassy in Kabul declined to comment on the report.
The accusations will likely further strain ties between Western powers and Islamabad, which has long denied backing militant groups seeking to topple the US-backed government in Kabul.
