Talks in Pakistan between Taliban and Turkmenistan diplomats tried to resolve Taliban complaints about weapons coming across the Turkmenistan border to the Northern Alliance. The war in Afghanistan is largely based on ethnic differences. The majority of the Taliban are Pushtun. The Northern Alliance are non-Pushtun. The Turkmenistan government feels obliged to allow weapons to be sold to their  Turkmen kinsman in northern Afghanistan. Similarly, Iran allows weapons across their border to Shiite other warlords in western Afghanistan.