A fairly recent example is may 2001. Colin Powell announced a $43 million grant to Afghanistan after the Taliban declared a ban on opium cultivation. Afghanistan's estimated gross domestic product was a only $2 billion that year. So they recieved more than 20 years worth of revenue for nothing. A lot of that money has gone to the Taliban (reportedly most of it), it is part of a deal with the US, they stop opium production and the US pays them. They then use that money to buy weapons instead of using drug money. I fail to see why thats an advanatge for the US but they did it anyway. Even dafter, the Talban didn't stop or even reduce opium production, so they got even more money.
http://www.cato.org/dailys/08-02-02.html
Also, more generally, half of Taliban manpower and equipment originated in Pakistan under the ISI. Following the Soviet withdrawal both sides in the Afghan civil war continued to receive support through Pakistan's ISI for several years. As you are probably aware the ISI is the Pakistani Military Intelligence which was funded prior to, during, and after the cold war and was used to distribute finances to america's "new allies" (to avoid america dealing directly with them finacially). Even after the Taliban took control of Afganistan the funding continued for both sides in a bid to fuel the civil war and make it last longer. This has since stopped (early 80s) and the ISI is not funded by the US any more.
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO109C.html
Then there's the american company Unocal who paid $2m to the Taliban in exchange for laying a gas pipe across Afganistan because it was decied that the gain to the Amercian energy industry outweighed the cost
(stuggling to find a link at the mo but its true, check up on it)
What's really ironic is that russia is now also funding the Taliban. Its all gone full circle. what a mess :bang:
http://www.cato.org/dailys/08-02-02.html
Also, more generally, half of Taliban manpower and equipment originated in Pakistan under the ISI. Following the Soviet withdrawal both sides in the Afghan civil war continued to receive support through Pakistan's ISI for several years. As you are probably aware the ISI is the Pakistani Military Intelligence which was funded prior to, during, and after the cold war and was used to distribute finances to america's "new allies" (to avoid america dealing directly with them finacially). Even after the Taliban took control of Afganistan the funding continued for both sides in a bid to fuel the civil war and make it last longer. This has since stopped (early 80s) and the ISI is not funded by the US any more.
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO109C.html
Then there's the american company Unocal who paid $2m to the Taliban in exchange for laying a gas pipe across Afganistan because it was decied that the gain to the Amercian energy industry outweighed the cost
(stuggling to find a link at the mo but its true, check up on it)
What's really ironic is that russia is now also funding the Taliban. Its all gone full circle. what a mess :bang: