Aram Roston: US Military Funds Afghan Warlords

Aram Roston: US Military Funds Afghan Warlords

Aram Roston: US Military Funds Afghan Warlords

A six-month congressional investigation has confirmed that US taxpayer funds are ending up in Afghan warlords’ hands.  Aram Roston, author of the Nation story that sparked the investigation, talks about the findings.

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In a November cover story, Nation writer Aram Roston detailed how US taxpayer dollars are being channeled into Afghan warlords’ coffers; Congress took note of the story and launched a six-month investigation. The subsequent report, which The Nation was able to obtain in advance, confirms that Afghan warlords are receiving payoffs through a $2.16 billion contract between the US Army and eight civilian trucking firms in Afghanistan.

Is this kind of corruption just part of doing business in Afghanistan? "The whole point is that you have to know where the money is going," Roston tells Laura Flanders on GritTV, and he goes on to talk about the investigation, the implications of the findings, and the controversy General McChrystal now finds himself in.

—Carrie Battan

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