Brother of Afghan Leader Said to Be Paid by C.I.A.

[scandal 951]

Breaking story in NYT. ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/world/as...intel.html?_r=1

Brother of Afghan Leader Said to Be Paid by C.I.A.

By DEXTER FILKINS, MARK MAZZETTI and JAMES RISEN

Published: October 27, 2009

KABUL, Afghanistan — Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the Afghan president and a suspected player in the country’s booming illegal opium trade, gets regular payments from the Central Intelligence Agency, and has for much of the past eight years, according to current and former American officials.

The agency pays Mr. Karzai for a variety of services, including helping to recruit an Afghan paramilitary force that operates at the C.I.A.’s direction in and around the southern city of Kandahar, Mr. Karzai’s home.

The financial ties and close working relationship between the intelligence agency and Mr. Karzai raise significant questions about America’s war strategy, which is currently under review at the White House.

The ties to Mr. Karzai have created deep divisions within the Obama administration. The critics say the ties complicate America’s increasingly tense relationship with President Hamid Karzai, who has struggled to build sustained popularity among Afghans and has long been portrayed by the Taliban as an American puppet. The C.I.A.’s practices also suggest that the United States is not doing everything in its power to stamp out the lucrative Afghan drug trade, a major source of revenue for the Taliban.

More broadly, some American officials argue that the reliance on Ahmed Wali Karzai, the most powerful figure in a large area of southern Afghanistan where the Taliban insurgency is strongest, undermines the American push to develop an effective central government that can maintain law and order and eventually allow the United States to withdraw.

“If we are going to conduct a population-centric strategy in Afghanistan, and we are perceived as backing thugs, then we are just undermining ourselves,” said Maj. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the senior American military intelligence official in Afghanistan.

Ahmed Wali Karzai said in an interview that he cooperated with American civilian and military officials, but did not engage in the drug trade and did not receive payments from the C.I.A.

The relationship between Mr. Karzai and the C.I.A. is wide ranging, several American officials said. He helps the C.I.A. operate a paramilitary group, the Kandahar Strike Force, that is used for raids against suspected insurgents and terrorists. On at least one occasion, the strike force has been accused of mounting an unauthorized operation against an official of the Afghan government, the officials said.

Mr. Karzai is also paid for allowing the C.I.A. and American Special Operations troops to rent a large compound outside the city — the former home of Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban’s founder. The same compound is also the base of the Kandahar Strike Force. “He’s our landlord,” a senior American official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Mr. Karzai also helps the C.I.A. communicate with and sometimes meet with Afghans loyal to the Taliban. Mr. Karzai’s role as a go-between between the Americans and the Taliban is now regarded as valuable by those who support working with Mr. Karzai, as the Obama administration is placing a greater focus on encouraging Taliban leaders to change sides.

A C.I.A. spokesman declined to comment for this article.

“No intelligence organization worth the name would ever entertain these kind of allegations,” said Paul Gimigliano, the spokesman.

Some American officials said that the allegations of Mr. Karzai’s role in the drug trade were not conclusive.

“There’s no proof of Ahmed Wali Karzai’s involvement in drug trafficking, certainly nothing that would stand up in court,” said one American official familiar with the intelligence. “And you can’t ignore what the Afghan government has done for American counterterrorism efforts.”

[meowmeowmeow 1]

is it really a big surprise... karzai is super tight with the bush family as well...

[Joseph & Ana 0]

Obama ordered it. So he can control the outcome of the election.

[Nagishkaw 510]

No suprises here.

[Joseph & Ana 0]

No suprises here.

Me either.

[meowmeowmeow 1]

Obama ordered it. So he can control the outcome of the election.

so, you are saying that Obama ordered the CIA to pay Karzai's brother so the election outcome in Afghanistan will turn out in whatever way that Obama wants?

are you aware of the karzais' ties to the bush family?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=59b_1225807900

http://www.bigmagic.com/pages/blackj/column70a.html

i can post more #######, but not necessary...

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Obama ordered it. So he can control the outcome of the election.

so, you are saying that Obama ordered the CIA to pay Karzai's brother so the election outcome in Afghanistan will turn out in whatever way that Obama wants?

are you aware of the karzais' ties to the bush family?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=59b_1225807900

http://www.bigmagic.com/pages/blackj/column70a.html

i can post more #######, but not necessary...

ouch.

[NickD 203]

It's my understanding that many Afghans are getting paid by our government, it's those they put on the news saying they want Americans to be in their country. Should give equal time to get the opinions of those that are shooting at us.

[meowmeowmeow 1]

It's my understanding that many Afghans are getting paid by our government, it's those they put on the news saying they want Americans to be in their country. Should give equal time to get the opinions of those that are shooting at us.

can you blame those who are pissed off that foreigners came into their land, killed their people, and are just mucking things up all in the name of democracy, which is not even practiced here 100%?? now, i'm not a fan at all of extremism, but i can't say that i do not understand the normal general population who are unhappy with the US presence in their country.

i just really wish that the intentions of the military were really genuine, that they are there to help the afghani people rebuild their country and uproot it of trashy people, but of course that is a naive way to see things.

ah well........ c'est la vie right.

[NickD 203]

It's my understanding that many Afghans are getting paid by our government, it's those they put on the news saying they want Americans to be in their country. Should give equal time to get the opinions of those that are shooting at us.

can you blame those who are pissed off that foreigners came into their land, killed their people, and are just mucking things up all in the name of democracy, which is not even practiced here 100%?? now, i'm not a fan at all of extremism, but i can't say that i do not understand the normal general population who are unhappy with the US presence in their country.

i just really wish that the intentions of the military were really genuine, that they are there to help the afghani people rebuild their country and uproot it of trashy people, but of course that is a naive way to see things.

ah well........ c'est la vie right.

We are dealing with a country with a uniformed military and one central government, but rather thousands of warlords that have absolute control over their districts. Its a mess that only mass extermination will cure or hundreds of years of retraining with nothing to gain. US would like a friendly nation in that area with a democracy, and I would like my tax dollar spent here so I am having a dispute with our government leaders.

[Ban Hammer 13,656]

It's my understanding that many Afghans are getting paid by our government, it's those they put on the news saying they want Americans to be in their country. Should give equal time to get the opinions of those that are shooting at us.

can you blame those who are pissed off that foreigners came into their land, killed their people, and are just mucking things up all in the name of democracy, which is not even practiced here 100%?? now, i'm not a fan at all of extremism, but i can't say that i do not understand the normal general population who are unhappy with the US presence in their country.

i just really wish that the intentions of the military were really genuine, that they are there to help the afghani people rebuild their country and uproot it of trashy people, but of course that is a naive way to see things.

ah well........ c'est la vie right.

the intentions of the us military are dictated by our elected representatives. please don't blame the military for carrying out lawful orders.

[Heracles 417]

It's only a matter of time before the NYT reports our nuclear codes.

[meowmeowmeow 1]

It's my understanding that many Afghans are getting paid by our government, it's those they put on the news saying they want Americans to be in their country. Should give equal time to get the opinions of those that are shooting at us.

can you blame those who are pissed off that foreigners came into their land, killed their people, and are just mucking things up all in the name of democracy, which is not even practiced here 100%?? now, i'm not a fan at all of extremism, but i can't say that i do not understand the normal general population who are unhappy with the US presence in their country.

i just really wish that the intentions of the military were really genuine, that they are there to help the afghani people rebuild their country and uproot it of trashy people, but of course that is a naive way to see things.

ah well........ c'est la vie right.

We are dealing with a country with a uniformed military and one central government, but rather thousands of warlords that have absolute control over their districts. Its a mess that only mass extermination will cure or hundreds of years of retraining with nothing to gain. US would like a friendly nation in that area with a democracy, and I would like my tax dollar spent here so I am having a dispute with our government leaders.

yes, indeed, and as the designated policeman of the entire world, the US has a moral responsibility to go into other countries and muck up the show to suit their own ends and purposes. then again, that's what big imperialist countries do.

afghanistan definitely has issues and there's a lot of need for improvement there, but this?

whatever...