Height of un-intelligence! Can ya believe it? Please just tell me how much of the hard earned American Taxpayers dollars are being literally given away to “negotiators” who are oh-so-easily able to circumnavigate the supreme intelligence that is CIA.
Now for the actual bit:
WASHINGTON (AFP) – A man claiming to be a leading Taliban negotiator in secret talks with Afghan officials was actually faking, The New York Times reported Tuesday in the latest setback to efforts to end the war.
For months, the** high-level meetings backed by NATO** appeared to be showing progress if only because of the purported participation of Mullah Akhtar Mohammed Mansour, one of the most senior Taliban commanders.
But it now seems the talks have achieved little and US officials have given up hope the man was either Mansour or even a Taliban leader at all, the Times said.
“It’s not him,” a Western diplomat in Kabul intimately involved in the talks told the newspaper. “And we gave him a lot of money.”
NATO and Afghan officials told the Times that they had met three times with the fake Taliban leader, who came from Pakistan, where Taliban leaders have taken cover.
He was even flown to Kabul on a NATO aircraft and ushered into the presidential palace to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has appealed to the Taliban to come to the negotiating table.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101123/pl_afp/afghanistanunresttalibanus_20101123063059
I do believe it is time for NATO and American Intelligence to back off and let those who know the terrain, culture, and history of the region take control of the situation. No, not “democratic” India. Rather, Pakistan, and Iran.
It should have been Pakistan representation in Lisbon giving NATO the instructions and dictation on what not to do, and what the best option for them is at this point. But again, as the saying goes, some learn and some learn it the hard way. For reference, consult Russia.
Lets hope for the best, and wish the next honest dollar is not spent on a goose chase based on a hunch from faulty intelligence. George must be laughing his head off at the ranch. Mr. Obama, this is happening on your watch! What will you do?