hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military funds are making their way to Afghan insurgents, including the Taliban. Roston reports that the U.S. is paying off insurgents to persuade them from attacking U.S. supply lines. In this grotesque carnival, the US military's contractors are forced to pay suspected insurgents to protect American supply routes. It is an accepted fact of the military logistics operation in Afghanistan that the US government funds the very forces American troops are fighting. And it is a deadly irony, because these funds add up to a huge amount of money for the Taliban. "It's a big part of their income," one of the top Afghan government security officials told The Nation in an interview. In fact, US military officials in Kabul estimate that a minimum of 10 percent of the Pentagon's logistics contracts--hundreds of millions of dollars--consists of payments to insurgents. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/11/karl-eikenberry-dissents_n_354657.html
It is always cheaper to pay than to fight. It is really not as crazy as you think. A lot of strife in this dirt poor region is caused by economics more than theology. A few hundred dollars per convoy trip may save a few American and coalition lives. It is estimated that 10% of the funding for contracted trucking may end up in the hands of the Taliban. In addition, the Army Times reported that the US is also trying to turn some of the lower level Taliban towards a normalized relationship with the Afghan government and the US. And they are not doing the turning with just their good looks and charming personalities. more... http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/army_reintegration_102909w/
Weapons are not the limiting factors toward coalition casualties in Iraq or Afghanistan, it never was and never will be. What you should worry about is that money going towards improving the the lives of those being ruled by the Taliban - for it is then that you have lost the hearts and minds of the Afghans.
we could bribe off the whole country and be done with the war if we gave the people bribes instead of giving the money to military contractors.We could get that whole country to turn into flag waving yankees if we paid them off to turn against radical islam.Im glad obama has rejected all the stale,more of the same,stay the course options he was presented with.
i am not one bit worried that the money will go to those who need it. did you miss this part? "It is an accepted fact of the military logistics operation in Afghanistan that the US government funds the very forces American troops are fighting."
There was a documentary shown recently on Aus TV about the scale of corruption in Afghanistan. It was just mind boggling in it's scope. US aid was supposed to have committed to building over 600 schools across the country. The journalist insisted on being shown one (just one) in Kabul. After a week of pestering, the US PR hack eventually sent him to the best they had. Construction had stopped two years ago and all there was to show was a very nice front wall and the toilet block. The money had run out, or rather been siphoned off. Oh, but there was a rather grand billboard proclaiming that all this was thanks to US AID. It seems the only thing being built in Kabul are luxury apartments and villas some with price tags of over a million bucks. This in a country where the average income is what? Fraud and corruption on a massive scale. How could US and NATO be unaware of this for years? It is not credible that they haven't at the very least been turning a bind eye. And it is not credible to be believe that most Afghans don't know what is going on. Hearts and Minds? Thats a laugh. The whole war is rotten to the core. The US and NATO should get out immediately and let the Afghans sort out their problems.