A House committee has launched an investigation into claims that US military contractors in Afghanistan are paying the Taliban to guarantee the safety of their transportation convoys, an allegation that could mean American taxpayers are indirectly funding the insurgency that has killed more than 900 American soldiers so far.

"Serious allegations have been [made] that private security providers for US transportation contractors in Afghanistan are regularly paying local warlords and the Taliban for security," said Rep. John Tierney (D-MA), chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs. "After a preliminary inquiry, it has been determined these reports warrant a full-scale subcommittee investigation."

Tierney said that if the allegations are proven to be true, "it would mean that the United States is unintentionally engaged in a vast protection racket and, as such, may be indirectly funding the very insurgents we are trying to fight." (Raw Story, Dec. 17)

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