Viagra wins friends in war zone
The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women.
His visitor, a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, saw an opportunity, and reached in his bag for a small gift.
Four blue pills - Viagra.
'Take one of these. You'll love it,' the officer said.
Compliments of Uncle Sam.
The enticement worked.
The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception.
The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taleban movements and supply routes - followed by a request for more pills.
For US intelligence officials, this is how some crucial battles in Afghanistan are fought and won.
While the CIA has a long history of buying information with cash, the growing Taleban insurgency has prompted the use of novel incentives and creative bargaining to gain support in some of the country's roughest neighbourhoods.
The usual bribes of choice - cash and weapons - are not always the best options, Afghanistan veterans say. Guns too often fall into the wrong hands, and showy gifts like money, jewellery and cars tend to draw unwanted attention.
The key, according to a veteran of CIA covert operations in Afghanistan, is to meet the informant's personal needs in a way that keeps him firmly on your side but leaves little or no visible trace.
In the case of the 60-year-old chieftain, who received the four pills from a US operative, a discussion of the man's family and many wives provided inspiration.
Once it was established that the man was in good health, the pills were offered and accepted.
Four days later, when the Americans returned, the gift had worked its magic, the operative recalled.
'He came up to us beaming,' the official said.
'He said, 'You are a great man.' And after that, we could do whatever we wanted in his area.'
Washington Post
The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women.
His visitor, a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, saw an opportunity, and reached in his bag for a small gift.
Four blue pills - Viagra.
'Take one of these. You'll love it,' the officer said.
Compliments of Uncle Sam.
The enticement worked.
The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception.
The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taleban movements and supply routes - followed by a request for more pills.
For US intelligence officials, this is how some crucial battles in Afghanistan are fought and won.
While the CIA has a long history of buying information with cash, the growing Taleban insurgency has prompted the use of novel incentives and creative bargaining to gain support in some of the country's roughest neighbourhoods.
The usual bribes of choice - cash and weapons - are not always the best options, Afghanistan veterans say. Guns too often fall into the wrong hands, and showy gifts like money, jewellery and cars tend to draw unwanted attention.
The key, according to a veteran of CIA covert operations in Afghanistan, is to meet the informant's personal needs in a way that keeps him firmly on your side but leaves little or no visible trace.
In the case of the 60-year-old chieftain, who received the four pills from a US operative, a discussion of the man's family and many wives provided inspiration.
Once it was established that the man was in good health, the pills were offered and accepted.
Four days later, when the Americans returned, the gift had worked its magic, the operative recalled.
'He came up to us beaming,' the official said.
'He said, 'You are a great man.' And after that, we could do whatever we wanted in his area.'
Washington Post
