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 Ahmad
Wali Karzai is President Hamid Karzai's younger brother. He is currently the
chairman of the provincial council in Kandahar. He is a very influential figure
in the south and was chosen as a representative of Kandahar province for the
2002 and 2004 Loya Jirgas. For many years now, various Afghan political figures
have either hinted at or have openly accused Wali Karzai of being involved in
Afghanistan's illegal heroin trade. The former interior minister Taj Mohammad
Wardak told a British paper that while there is no direct proof, everyone knows
that Wali Karzai is involved in the drug trade. In early October 2008, the New
York Times reported that two unnamed American officials said that the Bush
Administration believes that Wali Karzai is involved in drug trafficking. After
publication of the New York Times report, Wali Karzai immediately called a news
conference and strongly denied that he has ever been involved in the illegal
drug trade. Wali Karzai suggested to the Associated Press that the American
officials are fabricating allegations to retaliate against President Karzai
because of his criticism of civilian casualties.
by Abdullah Qazi / October 16, 2008 |
