Soupçonné de jouer un rôle important dans le trafic d'opium en Afghanistan, Ahmed Wali Karzaï, frère du président de ce pays, est très certainement à la solde de la CIA, qui l'a payé régulièrement au cours des huit dernières années pour des services divers, selon cet article publié sur le site internet du New York Times. Je cite dans le texte un extrait du reportage du quotidien new-yorkais :
The financial ties and close working relationship between the intelligence agency and Mr. Karzai raise significant questions about America's war strategy, which is currently under review at the White House.
The ties to Mr. Karzai have created deep divisions within the Obama administration. The critics say the ties complicate America's increasingly tense relationship with President Hamid Karzai, who has struggled to build sustained popularity among Afghans and has long been portrayed by the Taliban as an American puppet. The C.I.A.'s practices also suggest that the United States is not doing everything in its power to stamp out the lucrative Afghan drug trade, a major source of revenue for the Taliban.
More broadly, some American officials argue that the reliance on Ahmed Wali Karzai, the most powerful figure in a large area of southern Afghanistan where the Taliban insurgency is strongest, undermines the American push to develop an effective central government that can maintain law and order and eventually allow the United States to withdraw.