CIA And MI6 Ghost Money May Fuel Afghan Corruption, Say Diplomats -- The Guardian
Failure of peace initiatives raises questions over whether British eagerness for political settlement may have been exploited
The CIA and MI6 have regularly given large cash payments to Hamid Karzai's office with the aim of maintaining access to the Afghan leader and his top allies and officials, but the attempt to buy influence has largely failed and may have backfired, former diplomats and policy analysts say.
The Guardian understands that the payments by British intelligence were on a smaller scale than the CIA's handouts, reported in the New York Times to have been in the tens of millions, and much of the British money has gone towards attempts to finance peace initiatives, which have so far proved abortive.
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More News On Afghan President Karzai Receiving Millions In CIA Money
CIA: Buying peace in Afghanistan? -- Al Jazeera
White House mum on bags of cash for Karzai -- Politico
CIA cash To Afghanistan -- Bloomberg Businessweek
CIA cash wrecks Afghan president's image -- Global Post/AFP
Karzai Responds to 'Bags of CIA Money' Allegations -- Voice of America
Afghan President Says CIA Cash Payments Were Small And Legit -- NPR
Afghan confirms the US has made payments to his national security team for a decade -- Washington Post/AP
Hamid Karzai confirms CIA payments to Afghan government -- The Telegraph
With Bags of Cash, C.I.A. Seeks Influence in Afghanistan -- New York Times
CIA gave tens of millions of dollars to Afghan president in suitcases and sacks ‘for access to Karzai’s inner circle’ -- Daily Mail
Millions in CIA 'ghost money' paid to Afghan president's office: New York Times -- Chicago Tribune/Reuters
CIA gave millions in cash to Karzai -- The Australian
Afghan president confirms receiving CIA cash -- Global Post/AFP
CIA-funded corruption: Top Afghan officials on secret US payroll – report -- RT
The CIA Gave Karzai Bags Full of Cash for Over a Decade -- The Atlantic
CIA 'ghost money': Millions in bribe money paid by U.S. to Afghanistan leaders -- Examiner
Report: CIA cash to Afghans hasn't always gained desired results -- UPI
How the CIA’s Bags of Cash Undermined the Afghanistan War -- Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room
CIA “Ghost Money” to Afghan Regime Yields Phantom Returns -- Michael Tennant, The New American
Do bags of cash ever help the CIA get what it wants? -- Elias Groll, Passport/Foreign Policy
A Brief History of CIA "Ghost Money" -- Asawin Suebsaeng, Mother Jones