Blogs and Stories
The Karzai Brothers Fight Back
Allauddin Khan / AP Photo
The brothers of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Ahmed—reported Wednesday to be on the CIA payroll—and Mahmoud, talk exclusively with The Daily Beast's Gerald Posner. They fiercely deny the CIA claim and blame it on enemies of the Afghan regime and The New York Times.
Early Wednesday morning at nearly 1:00 A.M., I checked my email for a final time and saw notice of a newsbreak from The New York Times that Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the Afghan president and the man often called the Pablo Escobar of the country’s heroin trade, has been on a CIA payroll for the past eight years. I immediately called him.
I reached him on his private cell number. When I asked if he had seen The Times story, he seemed surprised. His Internet access was down.
“Can you read it to me,” he asked. “I’ll comment on it as you go through.”
That was the first of a dozen calls. Each time I’d start by reading the article, only to have the line go dead after a few seconds. On some return calls, Karzai’s number just had a fast busy tone. He tried calling me back but when I picked up, the phone again went dead. I called his brother Mahmoud in Kabul, whose rapid rise to become one of the wealthiest men in one of the world’s poorer countries has raised unproven rumors about corrupt deals and insider access. His line, too, went dead during several calls.
“Everything is false,” Ahmed Karzai told me. “I explained everything to The Times reporter. Ask yourself, why is this coming up right before the election for my brother? It is clearly serving someone’s personal agenda.”
It was probably a coincidence, but the gods had conspired to block the Karzais from getting on a phone or the Internet to see what had been dumped on them.
But Wednesday morning, the Karzais came out swinging. I woke up to an email from Mahmoud. “Here we go again, a clear case of hearsay and rumors. NY Times is becoming an instrument for special interest of the evil-doers of the world to achieve their political goals. What Mr. Risen [New York Times reporter James Risen, who co-authored the Times’ report] has published against me, convinced me that presenting the truth about the world outside of the United States is not part of the agenda of the NY Times. In fact, misrepresentation of the international facts to the American people could be considered a serious national security threat to the United States of America. I will appreciate it if you could answer this propaganda, as I told you in the past, removing Ahmed Wali Karzai [sic] from Kandahar is a perfect strategy for Taliban to take over Kandahar.”
I called Mahmoud. He was angry. “This is being coordinated by the ISI (Pakistani intelligence service). They have been behind the assassinations of several provincial leaders who are against the Taliban. And my brother is the last major obstacle to them in the south. If they remove Ahmed Wali, the Taliban will fill the void.”
• Gerald Posner: Karzai Family Secrets
• Gerald Posner: The Taliban’s Heroin PloyMahmoud had particular venom for The New York Times even though James Risen is one of the paper's most respected foreign affairs journalists and his article was replete with specifics and seemed a bullet-proof piece of reporting. “We [the Karzais] are being harassed by The New York Times. This is a smear campaign. James Risen has a vendetta against us. And the Times is obviously being fed by the far-left lobbyist groups who are paying them to do this. These leftists want Afghanistan destabilized, they want the Karzais out of power so there is a vacuum, and then they can say it is such a mess that the Americans should abandon the country. This is a coordinated plan, have no doubt about it.”
Next, I got Ahmed on the phone. He was the same talkative man I had had trouble getting off the phone in previous conversations. He had invited me repeatedly to Kandahar to be his guest and to judge first-hand his denials of being a drug lord or running a mafia-like organization in the volatile and violent southern region of Afghanistan that serves as his power base. I thought back to the half-dozen talks with Ahmed and my own suspicions during those chats that he was connected to some western intelligence agency, likely either U.S. or British. Once, Ahmed had implied as much. "I have worked with Americans since 2001,” he told me, in an assertion that would seem to fit with the Times’ report that he has been on the CIA payroll for eight years. "I have been fighting the Taliban and al Qaeda …. No one has any idea how much I have done for the Americans. Really, I have done so many things they have asked me.”
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Why America Must Learn to Bow
Martin Jacques is the cofounder of the UK think tank Demos, writes a regular column for The Guardian, and is a visiting research fellow at the London School of Economics Asia Research Centre. His new book, When China Rules the World, is available now.
Going Rogue: The Index
Christopher Buckley's books include Supreme Courtship, The White House Mess, Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Florence of Arabia. He was chief speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush, and is editor-at-large of ForbesLife magazine. His new book is Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir. Buckley's Daily Beast column is the winner of an Online Journalism Award in the category of Online Commentary.
Murder or Miscarriage?
Gerald Posner is The Daily Beast's Chief Investigative Reporter. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
Her Majesty's Secrets Revealed
Gerald Posner is The Daily Beast's Chief Investigative Reporter. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
Left Off Holder's List
Gerald Posner is The Daily Beast's Chief Investigative Reporter. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
Oh, boy.
Mahmoud says....
1) It's hearsay and rumors.
2) NY Times is instrument for special interest of the evil-doers of the world.
3) It's propaganda
4) It's helping the Taliban
5) It's the Pakistani Intelligence Service.
6) It's a smear campaign
7) It's a vendetta.
8) It's the far left lobbyist groups
9) It's a coordinated plan
Ahmed says...
1)Everything is false.
2) I have nothing to do with the strike force.
3) I get no money or cash from this.
4) I have not got a penny from anyone.
5) Why is this coming up before the election for my brother?
6) It is clearly serving someone's personal agenda.
7) Nobody in Afghanistan reads or believes the Times anyway.
Methinks Mahmoud and Ahmed protest too much, and brother Hamid protests too little.
And we're to believe that Posner is an uninterested party yet has the "private cell phone number" to the CIA's asset?
Uh huh. And I have some swampland to sell, for anyone who believes either of them.
I don't get it, what's the story here? We were always told that the historic corruption in that area meant that every leader was on the US, Russian, Chinese or Saudi payroll. In many cases on multiple payrolls. Has that model changed? Is there a shift in the subsidizers? Are there new patrons in the mix? Please explain what we are learning new.
Your article fits the category - story. Full of opinions and old bits and pieces at that. Anyone who believes(solely) what's written in the NYTimes, needs to do their research. By the way, remember a week ago they had a major article on those who overstay their visas in the US. Where has this newspaper been orbitting for the past 15-20 years?!?
We don't need the NY Times or any other source to explain the CIA. They have a legacy of massive corruption around the world. You know, these are the same guys that shot Hawk missles at the Chiean government building, sold weapons to the Iranians, toppled many governments around the world and installed dictatorships in Iran. So, you are correct about "one source". We have many.
you left out an L in Chiean.
Thanks for pointing out those 'facts' about the NY Times. Too bad I didn't know this when GWB administration's talking heads made the Sunday morning talk shows quoting articles in the NY Times to justify the invasion of Iraq. Damn!
This leak was no accident, coming as it did at this crucial time, when the regime in Afghanistan lacks legitimacy and popular support. It is impossible for Obama to do any more to support it, since it is a positive hindrance to the war effort.
Maybe I'm just like those Vietnam hawks in 1963, who that that if they could only get rid of Diem and Nhu, the war effort would be improved greatly. Of course, it got even worse, to the point where the US had to totally Americanize the war in 1965 or lose.
Even so, I still don't see a way out of there. Having the VC and North Vietnam take over Indochina did not really affect us much in teh end, since they never had any intentions of attacking the U.S. We can live with governments like that, as we do with China, and probably could with Cuba once the embargo was lifted.
I'm not at all sure that any detente is possible with these Islamic fascist regimes, since they have shown in the past that they want to attack the West any way they can, which China, Russia and Vietnam did not really want to do during the Cold War.
mcmchugh99: LBJ created a catrastrophe, needlessly, by his reckless expansion and "Americanizing" of the Vietnam War. There was no need to fight this war, and delusions of "winning" played a large part in the disaster.
Let's look at this. An author, himself a lifetime paid mouthpiece for the CIA Helps the Karzai Bros defend themselves against these baseless allegations. Karzai insists he has done nothing but help the Americans. I believe him. The agency has no history of drug running. The multiple times they have been caught (Vietnam, Nicaragua, Mexico) all just baseless lies cooked up by those leftist commies. Nothing to see here American public. Move along...Move along!
The New York Times print something that is not true....impossible!
Ya, sure, and I've got a bridge I'll sell you real cheap. In fact, I'll sell you the Brookly bridge but you have to pay me in cash since I don't take checks.
I can believe the story, even if it came from FOX I'd believe it. how many despots has our country put on the payroll at taxpayers expense? Too many to count! We put the wrong people in power then thy turn around and screw us. Saddam, Quadahfi, Pinochet too many others to name. Sad thing is we have creeps like Cheney that rat out our own operatives. This is disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Karzai Brothers should be arrested by the military and flown to Dubai to enjoy their wealth. They have been busted and can never be trusted. unfortunately any new leader will be even more corrupt. Pol Pot would have executed every politician in Afghanistan without a trial. His intuition of their guilt would have been correct.
Gee, doesn't anyone remember Bush senior, the Cia and America's old buddy, Manuel Noriega??
Mr.Posner be the journalist go and investigate be the guest of the brother, My guess is he reads the Daily Beast and has read me pound him for being a "DRUGLORD" and can not take the "HEAT"....! it drew out the truth and it sounds and smells like the IRAN CONTRA AFFAIR to me and the C.I.A. ....! This going to blowback in the face of the United States like all the C.I.A. props up somebody and in the end turns back and blows up in the face of the United States....
Gee, all I really know about Afghanistan is that George Bush put President Karzai into power, he remains in power by virtue of US guns, the sovereign nation of Afghanistan had nothing to do with 911, America invaded and continues to occupy Afganistan in violation of International Law since no Declaration of War was issued, and Bin Laden has not been in Afghanistan for over eightr years, and I have no reason why the USA should be waging war in Afghanistan today or what USA would win if they or when they WIN the war in Afghanistan. What does Karzai have to whine about? I feel great compassion for the Afghan people, because of an Afghan friend; Afghans appear to have nothing to say about the rape and fate of their nation and are at the mercy of the current American President and his super-power military superiortiy which has not been able to win whatever America is supposed to win in Afghanistan. I am confused whether or not I need psychiatric help or whether the American nation does.
What it really comes down to is whether they were working with us in the best interest of their country, or just to line their pockets... which given the fact that they are STILL THERE where the bullets are, it seems pretty clear that they are trying to help their country more than they are trying to help themselves.
I would also like to remind the New York Times that the CIA are the good guys, and that outing their operatives is pretty much treason... remember the stink you through over that Valerie Plame thing a few years back?
The USA and it's CIA are very corrupt. Remember the "It's a slam dunk", the bay of pigs, attack on the Chilean, Nicaraguan, Panamanian, Guatamalan, and other too numerous to mention CIA ran plans? Maybe in the past somewhere the USA was a decent law abiding human rights advocate but those days are long gone. The USA is very corrupt. Whoops, I think we're under an "orange alert", I've got to hide under my bed now. We'll talk later. By by.
I continue to think the nationwide elections of an Afghan president are not appropriate for the country. Hamid Karzai is the best man for an extremely difficult situation.
And now a reading from the Fairy Tales of the Brothers Karzai..
"The Three Big Piggies and the Big Bad NYT."
Once upon a time there were three big piggies and the time came for them to welcome the American infidel dogs who had invaded their land, to take advantage of the American's presence and make their fortunes.
Before started they remember the lessons taught by their father, "Whatever you do, do it to gain the most power and money that you can because that's the way to get ahead in Afghanistan."
The first big piggy built his house out of selling favors and running drugs because it was the easiest thing to do in a lawless place like Afghanistan.
The second big piggy built his house out of commerce and owning the land's only cement factory, like any connected mobster. This was a little bit stronger than a house built on selling favors and running drugs.
The third little pig built his house out of politics, which is the strongest of all, at least while the Americans were still around.
One night the big bad NYT, who dearly loved to expose big fat piggies, heard whispered stories about the big piggies in Afghanistan from certain American officials and military officers it believed, and so the NYT came along and saw the first big piggy in his house of selling favors and running drugs.
The NYT said "I depise you and know your secrets, big piggy, and I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your brother's regime down!"
"Not by the profits of my entirely acceptable by local standards illegal ventures and this forbidden bottle of ginny gin gin", said the big piggy, "There are five million people in this country. How come I am the only one who is mentioned as a spy and drug dealer?"
And because the first big piggy was right, the big bad NYT huffed and puffed, and that was about all that happened.
The End
Thanks for making a drunk man fall out of his chair... "yeah i am drunk at 4 in the afternoon"
I was a soldier in Kandahar, and I pulled some guard duty outside of Wali Karzai's house when Americans were meeting with him. Based on my experience, the US funds a lot of the Afghan government, but we do it in a way where the Afghans get credit - not us, for whatever the government does. So to single out one leader and accuse him of being on the payroll is missing most of the information, and context around Afghan poltical leaders - that almost all important government leaders in Afghanistan receive some money from the US, otherwise they couldn't function or be strong enough to resist the insurgents and old ways of tribal/family violence. Also, to point out one Afghani as a corrupt person involved in drug trafficing - that's something only someone who hasn't been to Afghanistan would do - because they literally have miles and miles of poppy fields. They farm poppies like we farm corn in the US. So while these accusations might technically have some merit, in the context of the situation in Afghanistan they are really stupid - and miss the forest for the trees. It would be like if an Arab newspaper reported that some American politician eats pork and drink alcohol, over there it would really bad, but here that is just how it is.
northfield - Thank you for the inside perspective.
Hmmm Truuee!
nice information and good common sence. Its time for the Afgans to get a democracy, but a transparent democracy will probably take them fifty to a hundred years, still I hope Afganistan gets a emocracy due to lives lost for freedom here ind on the part of democratic loving and dienig afgan citizens.
Fantastic interviews by Mr. Posner. This whole situation triggered by the NYT article is so blatantly obvious in the shear timing of it. Right before an election run-off. Why not smear Karzai family members completely so that that Hamid Karzai has a stronger chance of losing? That leaves the other, Abdullah Abdullah winning. Will he be easier to pick off by the Taliban or A.Q? It seems entirely plausible what the Karzai Bros are saying has truth to it. Finally, the NYT needs to be singled out for writing their hit piece. What is their agenda and why? Do they have evidence to back up their claims?
CIA stands for Cash In Advance.
Richard Engel was interviewed by Rachel Maddow the other night. Engel referred to the Afghani heroin as an 'opium product.' Someone, a military advisor, ordered Engel to disguise what he was talking about for the Maddow interview.
That issue needs to be investigated big time. Then find who ordered that military fellow to inform Engel what they preferred Engel to say. And who told that guy and the next guy until eventually someone higher up refuses to tell where the order to refer to the heroin as an "opium product" initially began.
Engel pointed out that convoys loaded with tons of heroin are allowed to pass, instead of the heroin / opium confiscated. Who issued that instruction and why?
All of the recent violence in Iraq can be traced to the funds from smuggling the first opium milking from the fresh crop of opium poppy. No exercise of the imagination is required to believe the Karzai brothers have a piece of this action.
michaelslevinson.com
How much an enlisted soldier pulling guard duty learns of the in and outs of foreign policy or what goes on where he is standing guard is dubious at best.
As a retired officer with twenty years of active duty,compared to the guy who pulled guard, I should know almost everything, but I don't know any more than anyone else who is not involved in this mess, at a high level and every day.
My guess is that there is no reason for anyone to believe anything the Karzai family says; that they did not become super rich by hard work and virtue; that the family and almost everyone else in Afghanistan is corrupt; that the CIA probably did pay them and still is; and that the whole Afghanistan business will be a catastrophe for America and will result in hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars totally wasted, thousands of American lives lost, and many more thousands of our troops grievously wounded and their lives changed for the worst, forever.
And in the end we will find the same thing that ancient occupiers found, that the British found and that the Russians found. Nothing but death, waste and failure. Afghanistan is a corruptly governed, stone age country whose mostly illiterate people do not like occupiers of any persuasion and war is a constant with them. If they are not fighting Alexander the Great, or the Brits or the Russians, or us, they will be fighting other tribes and others whose ideas of the Muslim religion differ from their own. Their greeting may be, "Peace be with you," but what they really mean depends on who "you" is.
Many think we "won" in Iraq. We did not. That war is not over. Just a few days ago 160 people were blown up there in what was probably sectarian violence. When, and if, we pull our troops out (as vs. for example, renaming combat troops as support troops) then I believe America will not be happy with the result. There will not be a Jeffersonian or any other kind of democratic government there - except perhaps the one like Jefferson did approve of, the French Revolution where some Frenchmen chopped the heads off of other Frenchmen. There will be a different kind of dictatorship. The "let's make the world safe for democracy whatever the cost and everywhere" might keep in mind that unless you count Indonesia or possibly Turkey (I don't) there is no such thing as a democracy in a Muslim country.
Regarding my pulling guard outside of Karzai's house in Kandahar I just heard gossip - so it is dubious, but I also saw how things work in Afghanistan in person, I am guessing you didn't or you probably would've judged my experience with a sophmoric generalization - like that an officer knows more about what is happening than an enlisted person, everyone in the military knows half the officers are worthless - so it is dubious that your opinion matters at all. However, I don't know the details of what went on or was said behind closed doors, you're right. But you may be mischaracterizing the type of info I know, it isn't a foreign relations secret to hear about paying people money to build police forces, irrigate fields, build schools, build new buildings, buy vehicles, etc... That is just something simple, you and I may have different opinions about it - but I saw a lot of people getting paid. I also was in villages with many square miles of poppies. My point is that Karzai is functioning in a world most Western people wouldn't understand, and that the people reading this article might appreciate the different viewpoint.
Also, the Afghanis don't normally great each other in Arabic. The speak Pashto and Farsi. Where I was they said, "How are you, How is your health, How is your family, and are you good?" All in one breath. Sunguyai, Bachaidia, Jordi ey, Sturey Mussay, Too Shy Ehh.
You might argue more effectively if you knew specifics, rather than generalizations.
well, being a guard you have to understand something is going on in the home between the American's and Afgans, besides eating pork and drinking Johnnie Walker. trying to get a democratic government is as good a theory as any.
Who reads Gerald Posner? Only those who want to believe that every assassination, every bombing, every dirty business anywhere in the last 3 centuries was the work of the Lone Nut.
The CIA is patriotic
In making a deal symbiotic;
With Karzai on board
The U.S. reward
Is access to his crop narcotic.
News Short n' Sweet by JFD8
http://twitter.com/JFD8
Ahmed states"There are five million people in this country. How come I am the only one who is mentioned as a spy and drug dealer?"
The population of Afghanisan is 31,889,923(July 2007)
Ahmed is not a good spy if he does not know his country's population, and the CIA should sack him.
Good catch, unless he was talking about the country of Kabul.
it makes me sick to hear all these media people acting like they just found out about this man we should all realize that for eight years the media have been hiding a lot of stuff that's why they have so much to talk about and be against where as now they can say oh this is obam's problem most of the media is dirty and people had better realize it and stop believing most of what they say
Where there are narcotics, there is the CIA. Karzai's brothers protest that they are clean. What did we expect?
If you can handle the truth it starts here http://shar.es/ahO2t
Thank you.
As a first time user, your comment has been submitted for review. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two for your comment to be reviewed, depending on the time of week and the volume of comments we receive.
Please log in to leave comments.