Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Taliban As Mafia
GlobalPost ^ | Sept. 4, 2009 | C.M. Sennott

Posted on 09/05/2009 9:31:17 AM PDT by AtlasStalled

In the end of the day, the Taliban are not a lot different than any other organized crime family. And so it's good news that the U.S. government is finally getting that, even if it did take our Kabul correspondent Jean MacKenzie's story to wake them up. As we reported Wednesday, the federal government announced an investigation and Congress declared it would hold public hearings this fall spurred by MacKenzie's investigative piece about how American taxpayers' money is ending up in the hands of the Taliban. * * * MacKenzie’s reporting focuses on what has long been an open secret in Afghanistan, that the Taliban has established what is essentially a protection racket in which it takes a cut of up to 20 percent from contractors receiving hundreds of millions of dollars for development projects in Afghanistan. Twenty percent. * * * When you boil it all down, the Taliban are criminal thugs and the sooner the U.S. treats them that way, the sooner the U.S. will begin to have impact in Afghanistan. * * * To his credit, U.S. Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke gets this idea, but Washington has been slow to move on granting him the auditors and investigators he has requested. And meanwhile the Taliban continues to brazenly carry out its protection rackets and pocket what is estimated to be at least tens of millions of dollars in money that was meant to build bridges and roads and other public works.

(Excerpt) Read more at globalpost.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 09/05/2009 9:31:17 AM PDT by AtlasStalled
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: AtlasStalled

Taliban are criminal thugs Obama’s type of people no wonder he wants to pull out of Afghanistan.


2 posted on 09/05/2009 9:38:51 AM PDT by Vaduz
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Vaduz

We need to cut off the funding for terrorists that comes from the USA.

In 1980 I discovered a scam where Palestinian grocery stores used “coupon fraud” to rake in millions of dollars which went to fund the PLO. They sent in coupons for butter, cereal, etc. that they never sold and got paid. IIRC, the Feds never cracked down and the scam is probably still running.

A new scam is inside theft using fake gas credit cards. The muslim gas station owners disable the satellite or internet hookup and run fake cards to buy gas. The major oil companies get to eat the millions in fraud and some of the loot goes to fund terrorists.

The article is right. Go after their funding FIRST.


3 posted on 09/05/2009 10:15:50 AM PDT by darth
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: AtlasStalled

it’s the chicago way. hey the taliban are just community organizers, right?


4 posted on 09/05/2009 10:40:36 AM PDT by henry_reardon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AtlasStalled

We’re living in an era in which the bad guys have taken over the town and there isn’t any sheriff.

Except Sarah Palin, The Lone Ranger!


5 posted on 09/06/2009 6:22:50 AM PDT by RoadTest ( Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols - Psalm 97:12a)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AtlasStalled

So we’re going to unleash RICO on them?


6 posted on 09/06/2009 9:20:42 AM PDT by willgolfforfood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson