An Afghan Peace Problem: CIA-Funded Militias

President Trump wants to pull out of Afghanistan. A majority of Congress wants to end the 19 year long war. Peace talks are underway. The women of Afghanistan are bracing for a loss of freedoms possible while under American occupation. An agreement between the United States and the Taliban is in sight.

But then there is “the disposal problem” encountered in the wake of large-scale CIA paramilitary operations: what do you do with the people you’ve been paying to wage war?

A new report from the Costs of War Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute argues that the agreement won’t lead to real peace unless it addresses the elephant in the room: the fate of regional Afghan militias paid and directed by the CIA. “Militias that operate outside the control of the central state and the chain of command of its armed forces will undermine the process of state formation and the prospects for a sustainable peace,” the report reads.

Alex Emmons of The Intercept reports.

CIA-backed militias goes back to 2001, when, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the CIA rapidly organized Afghan militias under its payroll to overthrow the Taliban. This allowed the CIA to send Al Qaeda’s fighters fleeing the country with a minimal U.S. footprint.

Initially, these local militias were viewed as a temporary solution, but they eventually became a permanent fixture of secret CIA operations in the country — sometimes acting without the knowledge of U.S. diplomats and Afghan military leaders.

Not much is publicly known about specific groups the CIA directs, the best known of which is the Khost Protection Force. The force has no basis in the Afghan Constitution or law and operates out of the CIA’s Camp Chapman in the province of Khost.

The CIA’s forces could pose a problem for the Afghan government after the peace talks.

“If cut loose by the CIA,” the report notes, “they may be reborn as private armies or ‘security guards’ in the service of powerful individuals, or operate autonomously to prey on civilians and commercial sources.”

One Reply to “An Afghan Peace Problem: CIA-Funded Militias”

  1. [quote] “An agreement between the United States and the Taliban is in sight.”[/quote]

    People, in general, don’t have time to dig into the details of everything that happens in the world. But reporters, and people who feel that their opinion needs to be typed-out and posted on the internet, should take the time to investigate the details.

    The United States is no closer to a peace agreement with the Taliban than they are to a “denuclearization of North Korea” agreement with North Korea. To even think so indicates a lack of attention to the stated position of BOTH sides.

    In the case of the Taliban in Afghanistan, they have made their position clear numerous times. And their position (and conditions for peace) have not ever changed. Their position has ALWAYS been (and still is) that the U.S. Puppet government in Kabul is illegitimate. The Taliban will NEVER talk with, make peace with, or serve in a shared government with the U.S. puppets in Kabul. Additionally, the Taliban has stated clearly that the United States is an aggressor war nation in illegal occupation of (parts of) Afghanistan. Full U.S. withdrawal is required for peace in Afghanistan.

    Recently, the United States has said they will draw-down their troop numbers to 7 or 8 thousand, but also said that they (the U.S. military) will ALWAYS be in Afghanistan. But this statement is not an actual plan of the United States. Instead, it is just a statement of a proposal for the bargaining table. (As in, ‘Dear Taliban: We know you have insisted that ALL foreign troops leave your country before there will be peace… but how about we just cut our troop levels in half instead… would that work for ya?’) Anyone paying attention knows that the Taliban will not accept a troop draw-down as an acceptable substitute for a withdrawal of ALL foreign troops.

    Next, the United States insists that their puppet government in Kabul must remain in power as the rulers of Afghanistan. The United States insists that the Taliban negotiate (later) with the U.S. puppet government in Kabul for a seat at the ‘ governing’ table (i.e. to get any scraps from the master’s table). The Taliban has always clearly said that the U.S. puppet government in Kabul is a U.S. puppet government in Kabul. Since that government in Kabul was installed by, and is subservient to, a foreign government (the U.S.), that ‘government is illegitimate. The Taliban has consistently said that they will not bargain, for a seat at the table, with an illegitimate foreign installed puppet government.

    When there is full foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan (ALL foreign troops), and the puppet regime in Kabul agrees to step down and relinquish any supposed authority, THEN there will be peace in Afghanistan.

    To believe anything different is like the foolish landlord who believes his tenant — who is three months behind in his rent — truly, really will have the rent payment ‘next week’.

    Please stop falling for the Deep State propaganda.

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