Was DOD money used to pay the Taliban not to attack convoys?

2015-12-02T00:17:45-05:00

I just came across this article regarding the firing of the Rear Admiral who was put in place to weed out the flow of Pentagon funds to the Taliban. Did we use tax dollars to pay off the Taliban?
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/6708:why-did-petraeus-fire-the-auditor-charged-with-stopping-flow-of-pentagon-funds-to-taliban

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Dec 2 at 2015 1:11 AM

2015-12-02T01:11:45-05:00

I never trusted truth-out.org.

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 2 at 2015 7:50 AM

2015-12-02T07:50:07-05:00

of cause we did, just how much and to who.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 2 at 2015 8:01 AM

2015-12-02T08:01:30-05:00

I don't think anyone really wants to know the stats on what was paid, by whom, and to whom, over more than a decade of "hearts and minds".

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 2 at 2015 11:12 AM

2015-12-02T11:12:37-05:00

The story would have the reader reach a conclusion that all Afghan leaders are Taliban. What is more accurate is that all Afghan leaders operate in shades of gray.
The actual back story is that Petraeus was trying to replicate the Anbar Awakening in Afghanistan. The premise was that by making regular payments to specific Afghan warlords, you could leverage their militias and even bring them to bear on the Taliban. Lots of those warlords had some shady history - you couldn't really survive the past couple of decades out of obscurity without making some unsavory friends - and many had objections to financing these kinds of people. Right or wrong, that was the notion. It might have even worked if enough pressure shifted to heretofore "safe" Taliban held territory to force them to displace or fight.
But we will never know, because Petraeus was sent to head the CIA before real advances could be made on this initiative.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Dec 2 at 2015 4:15 PM

2015-12-02T16:15:55-05:00

RAT= Rent A Taliban