The Clusterfuck That Is Afghanistan

[unhappycamper]

Taliban bomb makers and leaders caught red-handed trying to kill American troops in Afghanistan have been freed without trial after paying off corrupt local officials, officers complain.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/9293245/Taliban-leaders-quietly-freed-without-trial-after-paying-off-officials.html

Taliban leaders quietly freed without trial after paying off officials
By Ben Farmer, Ghazni
8:00PM BST 04 Jun 2012

American officers in Ghazni province say in several cases they have been powerless to prevent the release of insurgent figures despite strong evidence they were attacking coalition forces.

The men were released not as part of the judicial process, or as part of a formal reconciliation deal, but after corrupt officials had taken bribes worth the equivalent of thousands of pounds.

A former Afghan intelligence chief from the eastern province confirmed to the Daily Telegraph that the practice had been rife for some time.

Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division have been sent to southern Ghazni this summer with just months to try and stabilise security and bolster the Afghan forces, before they pull out.