Several Afghan officials believed to be receiving CIA money. These paid informers are believed to be a key source of information in a government whose leader, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, has become increasingly erratic in recent months. Several U.S. officials outside the CIA say the agency's payments undermine efforts to battle corruption and graft. But the CIA is not the only agency paying Afghan leaders for information—the Iranian, Turkish and Saudi Arabian governments are all believed to be major players in Kabul's intelligence market. [WashPost]
Pentagon official: Expect more Taliban attacks next month. Insurgents hope to disrupt parliamentary elections planned for September 18, and have put an "extra effort" into destabilizing the north of the country, where the insurgent is believed to be weakest, the official said. Northern Afghanistan has seen several attacks over the past month, including one which killed eight police officers in Kunduz Province this past Thursday. [Reuters]
Iraq's lessons for Afghanistan. The AP's Lara Jakes lists seven things U.S. officials in Afghanistan should have learned from their experience in Iraq, including "be careful about Contractors," "train local troops," and "treat prisoners like people." Jakes applauds President Barack Obama and General David Petraeus for remembering to "keep expectations low . . . so that it's easier to look successful." [AP]
British PM "nearly assassinated" in Afghanistan. Intercepted communication between Taliban fighters suggests they had learned which helicopter British Prime Minister David Cameron was flying on during a recent trip to a base in Helmand Province, and were preparing to shoot it down with a rocket propelled grenade. British officials learned of the plot while Cameron's helicopter was in the air, and had it turned around ten minutes away from the base; they initially told the media the measure was a "routine precaution." [Politics.co.uk, Telegraph]