US Tricked By Afghan Drug Lord To Take Out Rival

Spiegel:

A "high-ranking" member of al-Qaida was seized during a recent US mission in Afghanistan which left five people dead. But the Americans were set up: The tip-off as to his location came from a drug clan who wanted to get rid of a rival.

Read the whole story: Spiegel

Comments

[nogimmicks]

01:26 AM on 04/02/2009

A similar story with most of the Gitmo detainees. According to an NPR report, the Iraqi or Afghan locals were paid 5K for each "suspect" and they sold their mentally unstable, village idiots and little criminals to Gitmo.

[PSM42]

01:21 AM on 04/02/2009

Surely they couldn't be that stupid. Oh wait ...

[JoeBlough]

07:14 PM on 04/01/2009

This is classic manuvering in this part of the world. U.S. forces end up being patsies because we don't know the culture.

[joebaggadonuts]

07:37 PM on 04/01/2009

I think the drug "lords" are doing it in Mexico, Jamaica, and anywhere else they ply their trade. So are other organized crime gangs. Get the cops to bust the rival gang. It's an old game.

I would have thought that we learnt that we can't be the world's policeman too, after Korea and then again, after Vietnam. But no, we haven't.

I suppose that if we legalize drugs, they will still make money trafficking body parts and live people as slaves instead, but at least there, the victims will fight back if given the chance instead of paying money to be part of the game.