NYT: Brother of Afghan Leader Is Said to Be on C.I.A. Payroll
Rachel Maddow reports on some breaking news from The New York Times-Brother of Afghan Leader Is Said to Be on C.I.A. Payroll:
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.
Steve Hynd has more over at Newshoggers--Karzai's Narco-Trafficking Brother Is On CIA's Payroll
The New York Times, in what must be a measure of how sure they are of their information, rolled out the big guns today - Filkins, Mazzetti and Risen - to write the story of how Afghan president Hamid Karzai's brother has been on the CIA payroll for years. [...]
What the CIA has done, and done for most of the last eight years apparently, directly undermines any population-centric counter-insurgency that was ever possible in Afghanistan. The leaking of its ties to Karzai's brother is a disaster of nightmare proportions for any chance of COIN success there, the icing on the cake. Added to all the other factors - the election, the civilians bombed, the abysmal state of the Afghan security forces, the very fact of a foreign occupation - the occupation has passed its tipping point for sure. [...]
Although that will be bolting stable doors after the horses have all bolted. It's a pity in many ways that this will land on Obama's doorstep when it was obviously a Bush administration initiative. My advice to the current White House would be to forget about the usual "we don't comment on intelligence operations" bulls**t. We're talking a potential Iran/Contra level mess here - spill the beans.
No surprises here.
Among other illustrious employees of the CIA:
Saddam Hussein
Osama Bin Laden
Manuel Noriega
Col. Julio Roberto Alpirez (Guatemalan death squads)
Idi Amin
General Augusto Pinochet
Ferdinand Marcos
Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi (1953 CIA coup in Iran)
Pol Pot
etc., etc.
you are forgetting Dick Cheney!
.
'in country'..they have been informing me of the Karzai brothers corruption for 4 years..The only thing they did not tell me was that Mahmed Wali was on the CIA payroll..But they are certain that EVERY business that sets up in Afghanistan the brothers have a piece of!..No wonder Mahmed went from obscure to one of the wealthiest people in the nation!
Noah has the list right.we just need to add the Karzai Brothers...
I'd bet it's not just the brother on the payroll!!
Hello!!!
It's Karzai himself!!!
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
If I'm not mistaken - I read that he WAS a CIA asset as well as being closely connected to Unocal?
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
Glenn Beck in a burka!!
I know it's not likely...but what if I'm right?
enquiring minds want to know.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
Breaking…
Just on the wire, they have located someone in the Afghan government who is NOT on the CIA payroll…
Details at 11…
statusquObama, change you can only pretend in
,
no wonder Dick didn't want anyone "dithering around" with his precious "afghan policy".
no wonder Dick won't leave town. Too many bodies to keep hidden.
just another day at the office.
...McChrystal leaking his report saying he needs more troops, Cheney coming out of his vault to say "hurry up", and now this gem.
things that make you say "hmmm"
Doesn't anyone read spy novels? Watch MI5?
No shit! What the hell will we find at the bottom of this well? Why do I feel like this guy, Ahmed Wali Karzai, may be found dead soon? I agree with Heather, let's air this whole thing out from top to bottom. Oops that should have been Steve, not Heather.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
is any of this related to CIA covert trafficking? I've always had a sneaking suspicion, so has Hopsicker. We don't get that much candy smuggled in just by the average Joe
I was under the impression what the US wanted were pro-America/pro Israel puppet states in Iraq and Afganistan- so the CIA involvement with the Afghan president's brother is no shock- The probrolly have his grandmother on their payroll as well.....
All of the Afghanis who fought against the Soviets were paid and supplied by the CIA - just like OBL.
From Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamid_Karzai#cit...
(must be a slow news day to garner any attention)
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
Yeah, you are right...common knowledge among those who can read without moving their lips...BUT...until it shows up in the NYT, it's treated as rumor. That said, a big difference here is that the Karzais are STILL on the CIA payroll. If that's the case, why? To what end? As the media is often playing to the LCD of education among readers/viewers, I'm not surprised the story is emerging this way.
I learned about most things like this during the Bush administration many months or years before it ever showed up in the NYT.
I don't believe in God. Teach a man to be a good citizen and you have solved the problem of life.
-Andrew Carnegie
.
.
I'm shocked! This guy has been known for years as the biggest drug lord in Afghanistan. What we have done is once again made a faustian bargain with scumbags. The CIA is good at creating monsters, but not so good at keeping them chained-up in the castle.
Next time you get drug-tested, or see some low-level neighborhood pot-dealer go to jail remember this: Your government uses your tax money to pay drug-lords. In fact, your government moves money around the world in the form of drugs frequently. Remember the Contras? Paid for by coke. Money can be tracked. Drugs are much harder.
Man, the bullshit is piling up so high in Afghanistan that it rivals the surrounding mountain-tops.
Another humiliation for this country is on the way.....
I don't believe in God. Teach a man to be a good citizen and you have solved the problem of life.
-Andrew Carnegie
Miss Madow,
What job did daddy Bush have befor he was vice president under Regan.
I am outraged, CIA is involved in illegal deals, i am in pure shock.
oiy!
He brought all his Kuwaiti defectors to the US. Any wonder sonny boy invaded Iraq as soon as he was selected?
At worst, he's spraying glyphosate and trapping gophers...
At best, he's blowing CIA agents for the next hit on the opium pipe...
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
This brings so many theories and possibilities to mind that it makes my head spin. Going back eight years brings other things to mind too. God only knows how tangled and ugly this may be.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
Kinda gives creedence to the everlasting Skull & Bones conspiracy theories, doesn't it?
There are times when I think my wonderful imagination is a curse. Things like this cause me to think up all sorts of possibilities. While it can sometimes be fun to have a good imagination other times it can clog the reasonable thinking processes.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
The truth will win. Imagination is a good thing. Someone once told me that if you can imagine something, then it can be true. So far, so good. The reason psychopaths get away with all that they do is because normal people don't think anyone will go as far as they will go.
Thank you.
Hey, if we stop paying this guy, maybe we can afford health care reform.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
So Afghanistan and Viet Nam are different how? (besids trading endless jungles for piles of rock) Anyone remember Ngo Diem, Gen. Khan, etc. we backed in the 60's and now we have Hamid and Ahmed. Sounds cute but apparently just as impossibly corrupt. I would bet the CIA is fed IQ by the Karsai boys that somehow results in rival warlord drug smugglers getting taken out as the Karsais grab more power and stash shitloads of US govt. and drug money is Swiss banks so their family's butts are covered when they are finally overthrown. I would of course be shocked, shocked I tell you, if the CIA were also getting a cut/kickback to fund their off the grid secret activities. If msm has the balls and clout to follow this story get ready for a lot more embarassment folks.
Harmil,
You've won the 2009 Ugly Truth Award! Thanks for that comment...it's a truth 95% of Americans don't know. One is a former oil executive...the other..a drug lord. Follow the Karzai brothers down the rabbit hole and you'll find out why we're really there. The Karzai family is busy making sure they get a controlling piece of the trade for heroin, opium, and most importantly...natural gas. Oh America, you have been duped...again.
I don't believe in God. Teach a man to be a good citizen and you have solved the problem of life.
-Andrew Carnegie
this has been known for years. he also is well known to be a heavy exporter of opium and poppies....
Jesus, I would not want to be the President right now. This mess just gets messier and uglier by the moment. Plus he has cheney and the right wing mouth breathers breathing down his neck. I wonder if at times he wants to call McCain and say it's all yours old man.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
... Leon Panetta explain this one.
At any rate, it should be clear we're not dealing above-board with any of these countries. We don't share a political philosophy, we don't share a faith. We often don't even give a rat's ass that they're corrupt (Musharraf, Bhutto) - all we care is that they're more favorably disposed to us than the other guy.
is that the "deep division" in the administration is the military & CIA v. everyone else.
politician's families were being held hostage. Ooops.
It's one thing to think or wonder if something shitty is going on, but it's another thing to find out that it really is.
Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don't say it mean.
Maybe now America will dump the Republicans once and for all, and get on with prosecuting the Bushies. It has to happen sooner or later...
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
... as long as someone like Dick Cheney or Glenn Beck exists to spread fear of What Might Happen With The Liberals In Charge, and someone like Harry Reid is there to concede.
If there's ever been proof of evolution, this is it. We've gone from a nation that helped fight Nazi Germany, that sent men to the moon ... to a nation full of stupid, fearful, Bible-swilling cultists.
tax dollars at work.
A drug merchant on the payroll of the CIA. I've never heard of such a thing.
you mean, like Noriega? Just a matter of time before the Karzais meet the same fate.
The bushies did it.
why do you think they all behaved so strangely and counter productively - not a collective madness - a criminal conspiracy and coverup [just your garden variety in fact]. Simple and disgusting.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
Do we get to go through the whole Dick Cheney / Scooter Libby thing again, but this time with the Obama people?
regarding unlimited campaign contributions for politicians from corporations, you won't have anything left to worry about. The coup d'etat will be complete. That will probably be in December, just in time to be distracted by Christmas. The pods will be delivered Christmas Eve.
Better'n'a kaiser roll.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Another state within the state.
gotta clean 'em up.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
Important to remember that the Republicans really believed they would pull off a God annointed "permanent Republican majority." (sort of a low order Thousand Year Reich)They believed that there would never be a majority of Democrats in government again to investigate and prosecute offenders thus they pulled all kinds of crap with abandon. Their hubris and greed thus knew no bounds and the criminal and immoral behavior thrived and multiplied.
Now the Democrats are in charge. Some of the shit they inherited from Republicans is so embarassing and damaging to the country that they hesitate to really pull the curtain open an share the true OZ. Blowback is a bitch when your in power no matter which party is too blame. Some of the GOP power grabs are begining to look a bit attractive. Perhaps the Dems are starting to dream of a permanent Democratic majority given the state of the Republican party. Don't ya hate it when history just keeps repeating itself. Life is like a giant slowly turning lazy Susan. Just wait long enough and whatever we screwed up before will come around so we have a chance to screw it up all over again...or more hopefully, remember and try something different. Isn't that what we thought we were doing with Obama? Hope it works out...
Ya. exactly.
They believed that there would never be a majority of Democrats in government again to investigate and prosecute offenders thus they pulled all kinds of crap with abandon
They ruined everything, almost, but we stopped them just in time, maybe.
The problem is they will all need to be routed out of the system now, one by one, case by case.
I hope the DOJ accepts this as the most important responsibility of their lives. It will define them. It will define service to America.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
I missed that. What happened?
By we i mean the electorate.
As far as i know a couple of hired grunts are going to be investigated some day, or so the DOJ has declared. Pretty pathetic so far.
The DOJ just needs to get fired up - ready to go.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
One-term Daddy Bush was just beside himself when he lost to Bill Clinton. So embarassing, in fact, that it necessitated a fat intern plant to take Bill down.
Brother of Afghan leader slain in tragic street shoot-out.
So what's the game here, really?
Would the Taliban be killing anyone if we were not there anymore?
Would the Taliban slay their own? You're right, what's the game anyway?
and did we cancel the pipeline or not?
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
Under the Taliban's rule, most of the poppy fields were destroyed because the Taliban banned farmers from growing poppy fields.
Wherever the CIA goes there are 3 main ingredients: drug trafficking, weapons contraband, and destabilization
Interesting how the world's supply of heroin increased 3 fold once the CIA and forces moved into Afghanistan.
Watched Daniel Ellsburg on C-Span this morning and he said there were even levels of secrecy he did not even know about and used the example of Operation Mongoose. The operation was headed by Edward Lansdale whom Ellsburg reported to. Ellsburg said in all the conversation and discussions they every had not one time did he ever hear Lansdale mention the word Cuba.
on the same subject from this morning's "Mikes' Blog Roundup":
"Americans will begin to understand that, since it's inception, the CIA has been the instigator and perpetrator of all the wonderful crap that has created the world we currently live in.
From insurrections, to torture, to drug smuggling, money laundering, assassinations, to wars, etc., if one digs deep enough, you'll find CIA operatives involved.
And, let us not forget that GHWB was once a participant in and, eventually, Director of this glorious organization.
When the real history of post WWII is written, you will find his fingerprints on everything!!"
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
No big deal. How the hell are American forces to get intel? This is how it's done. Fighting terrorists is more important than stopping a opium lord.
1. Air America aircraft (a CIA front) were used to transport opium from the "Golden Triangle" during the Vietnam War.
2. The Taliban virtually ended opium poppy production in Afghanistan.
3. After the U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, criminal warlords were given control of the country by the U.S. and Afghanistan now supplies 90% of the world's opium, much of which is turned to heroin and sold on U.S. streets.
Now ask yourselves, dopey Americans, if the war in Afghanistan was all about getting the terrorists who attacked New York and the Pentagon, why did the U.S. allow Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar to "escape" when they were surrounded by U.S. and Northern Alliance forces? Who do you think benefits from this drug trade?
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