"Leaked cables highlight graft in Afghanistan; US confronts overwhelming corruption" by Scott Shane and Mark Mazzetti, New York Times / December 3, 2010
WASHINGTON — From hundreds of diplomatic cables, Afghanistan emerges as a looking-glass land where bribery, extortion, and embezzlement are the norm and the honest man is a distinct outlier....
Welcome to AmeriKa!
The cables make it clear US officials see the problem as beginning at the top....
The widespread corruption is made possible in part by a largely unregulated banking infrastructure and the ancient hawala money transfer network used by politicians, insurgents, and drug traffickers to move cash around.
--more--"
Also see: AmeriKa's Drug-Drealing Double-Cross in Afghanistan
"The portrait of President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan that emerges from US diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks reflects his trajectory from eager leader anointed by the West to embattled politician who often baffles, disappoints, or infuriates his allies....
--more--"
"Afghan denies criticizing Karzai, says disclosure hurts ties to US" by , Associated Press / December 5, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan — A leaked diplomatic cable has jeopardized the US ambassador’s relationships with key Afghan ministers at a time when ties between the two nations are strained....
The rift sparked by the WikiLeaks release comes less than two weeks before Obama is to address Americans about a new review of the US strategy to defeat the Taliban and strengthen the Afghan government so American troops can begin leaving next year....
Related: “We are not leaving in 2014.’’
Or beyond.
Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the US Embassy in Kabul, said the Americans were working in private to overcome any issues. “We are determined not to allow the reckless actions of WikiLeaks to harm the strong and strategic relationships we have built over many years with many members of the government of Afghanistan,’’ she said....
Basically through the CIA.
Karzai questioned the validity of the leaked cables yesterday at a joint news conference at the palace with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan.
Related: Wikileaks Target: Pakistan
I don't question them anymore; I just see them for the agenda-pushing propaganda they are.
Otherwise, they would not be gracing the pages of my Zionist War Daily on a regular basis.
--more--"
Also see: As US fumed, Karzai stuck with Cabinet chief suspected of gross corruption
