Democracy Now: Report: Corruption-Linked Afghan Official on CIA Payroll
A top Afghan official at the center of a corruption scandal in Afghanistan is reportedly on the payroll of the CIA. The official, Mohammed Zia Salehi, was arrested on bribery charges last month but set free after Afghan President Hamid Karzai intervened. According to the New York Times, Salehi has received CIA payments for many years of unspecified work. The payments have continued despite the Obama administration’s stated commitment to root out corruption in the Afghan government. A US official defended the CIA’s ties to Salehi, saying, “If we decide…we’ll never deal with anyone in Afghanistan who might…put his hand in the till, we can all come home right now. If you want intelligence in a war zone, you’re not going to get it from Mother Teresa or Mary Poppins.”
Aware and Outraged 