U.S. Afghan Supply Chain Relies on Warlord Payoffs, Report Says

Contractors on a $2.1 billion job trucking U.S. supplies into Afghanistan are paying millions of dollars in protection money to warlords controlling their routes, according to a congressional report.

Contractors told congressional investigators they believe that, in turn, “the highway warlords make protection payments to insurgents” who are fighting the U.S., though there wasn’t direct evidence backing that claim, said the staff report, prepared for Democratic Representative John Tierney of Massachusetts.