The money is said to come from protection rackets, taxes imposed on opium farmers, donors in the Gulf states who channel money through Dubai and from the senior Taliban leadership in Pakistan.
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The Iranian companies win contracts to supply materials and logistics to Afghans involved in reconstruction. The money often comes in the form of aid from foreign donors.
The profits are transferred through poorly regulated Afghan banks – including the Kabul Bank, which is partly owned by President Hamid Karzai’s brother, Mahmood – to Tehran and Dubai.
From these countries, the money returns to Afghanistan through the informal Islamic banking system known as hawala to be dispersed to the Taliban fighters.
“This means the companies involved in funding the insurgency can cover their tracks easily. It makes it harder for us to trace the cashflow,” a senior Afghan intelligence officer said.
He said the Iranian companies had been formed with the intention of winning contracts funded by foreign aid so the donors’ cash could be channelled into the insurgency.
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In the past I have talked about this market of force concept in which the enemy is able to attract combatants that are contracted for the killing of our troops. The Taliban pay better and they offer incentives that give the possibility of even more pay. The incentive here is bounties, and the money comes from foreign donor sources or from drug sales and extortion rackets. In other words, the enemy is creating an industry that profits off the death of our troops. A system of bounties also attracts those that are the most proficient or creative in their abilities to kill, both local and foreign.
Below I posted three stories that all highlight exactly how this Taliban market of force works. From assigning values to equipment being destroyed, to individuals being killed. I am also speculating that these foreign mercenary sniper teams were not only contracted, but also allowed to receive bounties for each kill. It would make sense, just because they too would be rewarded for their deadly skills and inclined to stay in the fight to rack up kills.
Also, other Taliban fighters will be drawn to the most target rich areas of the country with the greatest chance of getting away with their kills. They will also go for the easiest kills possible, which would be either IED’s or sniping. In those cases, they need witnesses or video via cellphone camera, etc. to confirm the kill and get payment.
If they attacked in force in some kind of coordinated effort, I am sure the entire unit would be rewarded and they would split the prize. In that case, those fighters interested in more profit would probably be interested in joining the best teams with the highest kill ratios. Much like how the best privateer companies attracted investors during the American Revolutionary War, or how the best pirate companies in Somalia attract wannabe pirates seeking a chance to get wealthy.
The other thing that is attractive about a system of bounties is that a Taliban commander can use their averages as a means of recruitment. He can tell potential recruits that he pays $245 a month, but his guys also have the highest bounty collections rate in the area. Everyone loves to join a winning team in this high dollar hunting game.
I wonder though how suicide bombers are viewed in this game? I am sure if they were part of the attack, then I would assume the Taliban commander and his team would collect some payment for the deaths that these human bombs created? With that said, I am sure there is some form of a prize court that these guys go through in order to work these issues out. –Matt
Taliban paid bounties for kills
Four mercenary snipers hired by the Taliban are zapped from the air by British soldiers in Afghanistan
Taliban win £1,600 bounty for each Nato soldier killed
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Taliban paid bounties for kills
Miles Amoore
September 06, 2010
IRANIAN companies in Kabul are using their offices to covertly finance Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
They are paying bounties of $US1000 ($1090) for killing a US soldier and $US6000 for destroying a military vehicle, a treasurer for the insurgents says.
Afghan intelligence and Taliban sources said at least five front companies, set up in the past six months, provide cash for a network of district Taliban treasurers to pay battlefield expenses and bonuses for killing foreign troops and destroying their vehicles.
The Iranian companies win contracts to supply materials and logistics to Afghans involved in reconstruction. The money often comes in the form of aid from foreign donors.
The profits are transferred through poorly regulated Afghan banks – including the Kabul Bank, which is partly owned by President Hamid Karzai’s brother, Mahmood – to Tehran and Dubai.
From these countries, the money returns to Afghanistan through the informal Islamic banking system known as hawala to be dispersed to the Taliban fighters.
“This means the companies involved in funding the insurgency can cover their tracks easily. It makes it harder for us to trace the cashflow,” a senior Afghan intelligence officer said.
He said the Iranian companies had been formed with the intention of winning contracts funded by foreign aid so the donors’ cash could be channelled into the insurgency.
Western officials believe the network may have been set up by the al-Quds force, an elite branch of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard.
(more…)
