Karzai's brother denies CIA allegations

The brother of President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan denied reports today that he has been in the pay of the CIA for the past eight years.

Ahmed Wali Karzai was recruited by the US agency to help form an anti-insurgency paramilitary force and to act as a go-between with the Taliban, an article in the New York Times claimed.

Responding to the allegations, Mr Karzai said the report was “absolutely ridiculous”.

According to the New York Times, the president’s younger brother was paid to communicate with and meet Afghans loyal to the Taliban with a view to getting them to switch sides or lay down their arms.

He was also tasked with helping recruit men for a paramilitary force that operates under CIA instruction in and around the southern city of Kandahar.

The Kandahar Strike Force is used to carry out raids against suspected insurgents and terrorists.

Mr Karzai is paid for allowing the CIA to rent a compound which acts as a base for the paramilitary group, it is alleged.

The New York Times cites current and former officials in Afghanistan as confirming the story. Mr Karzai denied the claims but said he does work with civilian organisations from outside the county.

He said: “I work with the Americans, the Canadians, the British, anyone who asks for my help. They (the CIA) do their own recruitment. I have no idea where they get their recruits. It’s absolutely ridiculous.”

If true, the allegations that Mr Karzai is in the pay of the CIA could prove an embarrassment for the US.

He has been accused of involvement in the war-torn country’s booming illegal drug trade.

Although he has denied the claims, the revelation of an alleged link with the CIA could undermine US efforts to clamp down on the growth of Afghanistan’s opium exports with are used to fund the insurgency.

It would also compromise Washington’s relationship with President Hamid Karzai. The president agreed to a run-off election with rival Abdullah Abdullah, due to take place on November 7. But tensions between Mr Karzai and the White House are well known, with officials frustrated at his inability to form a strong centralised government.

He has been caricatured as a weak leader, with many in Afghanistan viewing his administration as a puppet regime.

Allegations that his younger brother is actively involved in clandestine operations for the US will do little to encourage support amongst his countrymen.

The CIA declined to comment on the New York Times’ report.

Paul Gimigliano, a spokesman for the agency, told the newspaper: “No intelligence organisation worth the name would ever entertain these kind of allegations.”