Karzai VP choice tied to CIA, drug trade

Afghanistan's former defense minister and CIA asset Marshal Muhammad Qasim Fahim stands a strong chance of becoming the next Vice President of the country, despite evidence that he has been involved in drug trafficking. In his bid for re-election, President Hamid Karzai has surrounded himself with checkered figures who could bring him votes: warlords suspected of war crimes, corruption and trafficking in the country's lucrative poppy crop. But none is as influential as his running mate, Marshal Fahim. His powerful position worries US officials, who looked the other way during the Bush administration. If he did take office, the US would probably consider imposing sanctions like refusing to issue him a travel visa. In 2001, when United States forces swept into Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban, Marshal Fahim, then a general as well, was a crucial ally as the military commander of the Northern Alliance. He worked closely with the CIA and was rewarded with millions of dollars in cash, according to current and former United States officials. According to the New York Times, the CIA and other top officials in Washington knew Fahim and other Afghan defense ministry aides were heavily involved in trafficking narcotics. Fahim is said to have had a cargo plane, which made flights north to transport heroin through Russia, later on returning laden with cash.