Ahmed Wali Karzai
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Ahmad Wali Khan Karzai (born 1961 in Karz, Kandahar, Afghanistan) is the younger half-brother[1] of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and son of Abdul Ahad Karzai. Ahmad Wali Karzai is the representative for southern Afghanistan region. He was chosen as a representative of Kandahar province in the 2002 Loya jirga and also the 2004 Constitutional Loya Jirga. He was elected to the Kandahar Provincial Council in 2005.[2] He is an elder of the Popalzai Pashtun tribe. In his capacity as provincial council leader he receives and mediates complaints of the local Pushtun tribal leaders and communicates their concerns to the governmental authorities.
It has been alleged by James Risen of the New York Times and others[3] that Karzai is a prominent figure in the drug trade, controlling a significant proportion of Afghan heroin or opium.[4] In meetings with President Hamid Karzai, including a 2006 session with former US Ambassador to Afghaniatan, Ronald E. Neumann, the CIA’s station chief and their British counterparts, American officials have talked about the allegations in hopes that the president might move his brother out of the country, said several people who took part in or were briefed on the talks. "We thought the concern expressed to Karzai might be enough to get him out of there," one official said. But President Karzai has resisted, demanding clear-cut evidence of wrongdoing, several officials said. "We don’t have the kind of hard, direct evidence that you could take to get a criminal indictment," a White House official said.[4] Ahmed Wali Karzai constantly dismisses the allegations as politically motivated attacks by longtime rival groups his country.
"I am not a drug dealer, I never was and I never will be... I am a victim of vicious politics."—Ahmad Wali Karzai, [4]
Ahmad Wali Karzai has survived a number of assassination attempts[5] and at least two attacks against his office in Kandahar: one in November 2008[6] and the other in April 2009.[7] According to him, a total of nine suicide bombers lost their lives trying to kill him.
In October 2009 the New York Times reported that Karzai is receiving payments from the CIA for "a variety of services", including the recruitment of the Kandahar Strike Force, an Afghan paramilitary force run by the CIA in the Kandahar area. It also stated that he is paid for allowing the CIA and US special forces to rent the former residence of Taliban leader Mullah Omar.[8] However, Karzai has denied taking any payment from the CIA. He has also denied being a drug lord.[9] U.S. Senator John Kerry defended Karzai on October 28, 2009.
"We should not condemn Ahmed Wali Karzai or damage our critical relations with his brother, President Karzai, on the basis of newspaper articles or rumors."
[edit] References
- ^ Page, Jeremy (2009-09-29). "Hamid Karzai's brother 'on CIA payroll'". Times Online. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/Afghanistan/article6893376.ece. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
- ^ "Wolesi Jirga & Provincial Council Elections Afghanistan 2005 Elections". http://www.results.jemb.org/results.asp?ElectionID=2&ProvinceID=28&Order=Vote. Retrieved 2008-06-10. mirror
- ^ Tariq Ali, New Left Review 50, March-April 2008. "Mirage of the Good War"
- ^ a b c Risen, James (2008-10-04). "Reports Link Karzai’s Brother to Afghan Heroin Trade". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/world/asia/05afghan.html?ref=asia. Retrieved 2008-10-05. "I am not a drug dealer, I never was and I never will be,” the president’s brother said in a recent phone interview. “I am a victim of vicious politics."
- ^ "Karzai brother 'survives attack'". BBC News. 18 May 2009.
- ^ 'Suicide bomber attacks Afghan government office". 12 November 2008
- ^ Coghlan, Tom (2 April 2009). "Brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai escapes as suicide attackers kill 17". The Times.
- ^ Filkins, Dexter, Mark Mazzetti, and James Risen (27 October 2009). "Brother of Afghan leader said to be paid by C.I.A.". The New York Times.
- ^ Posner, Gerald (28 October 2009). "The Karzai brothers fight back". The Daily Beast.
- ^ Kerry calls for briefing on Karzai brother
