 Lieutenant-General Mahmud Ahmed, the former director-general of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence ("ISI"), was responsible for the support to the Taliban.Many of "ISI" officers, such as Lieutenant-General Hamid Gul, Lieutenant-General Naseem Rana, Lieutenant-General Ziauddin Butt and retired Colonel Sultan Amir Tarar, played a major role in the war.The officers provided financial, economic, strategic, and military assistance to the Taliban.