NYT: Iran financing Karzai’s government

[babsbunny]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/10/nyt-iran-financing-karzais-government/

By Daniel Tencer
Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 -- 7:03 pm

Cash going to pay for Taliban's loyalty, NYT reports

Iran is providing a "secret, steady stream of cash" to the Afghan government led by Hamid Karzai in order to drive a wedge between Afghanistan and the US and promote Iranian interests in Kabul, the New York Times reports.

It's the latest sign that the conflict between Western forces and insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan may have become so tangled as to make it virtually impossible to tell friend from foe.

The Times reports that Iranian officials have handed over "millions of dollars" in cash primarily to Umar Daudzai, President Hamid Karzai's chief of staff. The money is used "to pay Afghan lawmakers, tribal elders and even Taliban commanders to secure their loyalty," according to unnamed officials quoted in the report.

A spokesperson for Daudzai has called the allegation "rubbish," while a spokesperson for Feda Hussein Maliki, Iran's ambassador to Afghanistan, called it “devilish gossip by the West and foreign media.”

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. Who knew that the US would turn out to be Iran's best friend indirectly. nt

[babsbunny]

2. now what?

:shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug:

[aquart]

3. Fine. They win. The hot potato is all theirs.

I recommend sour cream and chives. Let's go home.

On a side note, an Iranian IT guy I've been following on Twitter since #iranelection is on his second business trip to Kabul in the last few months.