Military Seeks $1.3 Billion For Construction Projects in Afghanistan 18 Oct 2009 While the Obama administration weighs whether to send additional troops to Afghanistan, the U.S. military is spending billions of dollars on construction projects to ensure the country's infrastructure can support American and coalition personnel in 2010 and years beyond. The military has already spent roughly $2.7 billion on construction over the past three fiscal years. Now, if its request is approved as part of the fiscal 2010 defense appropriations bill, it would spend another $1.3 billion on more than 100 projects at 40 sites across the country, according to a Senate report on the legislation. ["I was building a bridge," an Afghan contactor said, one evening over drinks. "The local Taliban commander called and said 'don't build a bridge there, we'll have to blow it up.' I asked him to let me finish the bridge, collect the money -- then they could blow it up whenever they wanted. We agreed, and I completed my project." Who is funding the Afghan Taliban? You don't want to know. 13 Aug 2009.]
United States admits tackling Italians over payments to the Taleban 17 Oct 2009 The US Government acknowledged for the first time yesterday that payment of protection money to the Taleban by Italian forces in Afghanistan was discussed by American officials and their Italian counterparts last year. A senior US official confirmed, two days after The Times reported that Italian authorities had paid the bribes, that "the issue [of payments] was raised with the Italians". [I wonder if US payments to the Taleban should just be incorporated into the next stimulus package? After all, funding the Taleban 'stimulates' the need for Obusha's war to continue. --LRP]
