# "Politics and Power in Kandahar"



## The Bread Guy (21 Apr 2010)

From the analyst who brought you this:
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/90836.0.html

you can read more about "the dynamics, personalities, and relationships that drive politics in Kandahar" (h/t to Flit for spotting & sharing this) - from the executive summary:


> Recommendations
> A strong personality-driven political order is emerging in Afghanistan which undermines ISAF’s goals. This report discusses the historical context of governance structures in Kandahar, the declining influence of tribes, Kandahar’s current powerbrokers, and the rise of the Karzai family.
> Kandahar is strategic terrain for the Quetta Shura Taliban and the Karzai family, and a central focus of ISAF’s 2010 counterinsurgency campaign.
> Ahmed Wali Karzai’s influence over Kandahar is the central obstacle to any of ISAF’s governance objectives, and a consistent policy for dealing with him must be a central element of any new strategy. Wali Karzai’s behavior and waning popularity among local populations promote instability and provide space for the Taliban to exist.
> ...


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## dapaterson (2 Sep 2010)

More on Ahmed Wali Karzai - allegedly he's exporting bales of US currency out of KAF.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/spy-talk/2010/08/us_dollars_exit_afghan_airport.html



> But a former CIA official who works with Afghanistan's spy service said the airport at Kandahar dwarfs Kabul as an exit point for millions of dollars in pilfered U.S. aid money and drug proceeds. The president's brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, president of the provincial council in Kandahar, has been repeatedly accused of controlling the opium trade there.
> 
> “The direct Ariana flight from Kandahar to Dubai in its cargo hold carries many bales of U.S. dollars wrapped in burlap,” said the former CIA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity so he could speak freely. “No hand carry. This is AWK’s preferred route.”
> 
> “On one day in July,” he added, “one of our guys saw 13 bales of cash being unloaded in Dubai from this flight.”


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