America’s CIA has found a novel way to gaininformation from fickle Afghan warlords – supplying sex-enhancing drugViagra, a US media report says.
The Washington Post said it was one of a number of enticements being used.
In one case, a 60-year-old warlord with four wives was givenfour pills and four days later detailed Taleban movements in return formore.
“Whatever it takes to make friends and influence people,” the Post quoted one agent as saying.
“Whether it’s building a school or handing out Viagra.”
‘Silver bullet’
The newspaper said the use of Viagra had to be handled sensitively as the drug was not always known about in rural areas.
It quoted one retired agent as saying: “You didn’t hand it outto younger guys, but it could be a silver bullet to make connections tothe older ones.”
In the case of the 60-year-old warlord – the head of a clan insouthern Afghanistan who had not co-operated – operatives saw he hadfour younger wives.
The pills were explained and offered. Four days later the agents returned.
“He came up to us beaming,” the Post quoted an agent as saying. “He said, ‘You are a great man.’
“And after that we could do whatever we wanted in his area.”
The pills could put chieftains “back in an authoritative position”, another official said.
The paper said the CIA had a long line of inducements for thenotoriously fickle warlords, including dental work, visas, toys andmedicine.
It quoted one private security official as saying that simplyhanding over large sums of money would raise suspicions about newfoundwealth.