US can’t quit paying spies in Afghanistan and Pakistan

This story was originally reported by PRI’s The Takeaway. For more, listen to the audio above.

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have put an enormous strain on the US military. The CIA and other intelligence agencies haven’t been able to find as much information on militant groups as they would like, The New York Times national security correspondent Mark Mazzetti told PRI’s The Takeaway. In an effort to protect US troops, the military has been relying more on paid intelligence contractors.

They say they’re not paying sources, Mazzetti explained. And they don’t call it “intelligence” work, because that would be legally problematic. Instead, according to Mazzetti, “They’re putting it under a banner called ‘atmospheric information,’ which is something about the dynamics of the country, the mood of the country, and some situational differences.”

Not everyone is buying the difference between “atmospheric information” and “intelligence.” Mazzetti says, “a lot of people think this is simply a distinction without a difference.”

The contractors aren’t just in Afghanistan, either. According to Mazzetti, the contractors have become an integral part of what has become a covert war in Pakistan. “A lot of this done because of concern about Pakistani views that they don’t want foreign troops, especially US troops, on their soil,” Mazzetti explains, “so they find ways around it.”

Though it may disappoint some of Obama’s anti-war supporters, these contractors can’t be blamed the Bush administration. In fact, much of this operation didn’t get under way until the summer of 2009. “So yes,” Mazzetti says, “it’s been mostly during the Obama Administration.”

If paying intelligence contractors to wage a war in Afghanistan and Pakistan seems problematic, there’s little chance that the practice will be stopping any time soon. General Petraeus, who was recently put in charge of the US effort in Afghanistan, is reportedly quite fond of these kinds of “atmospheric collection. And the longer the wars go, the more strain is put on the military. Mazzetti explains: “The military, the CIA, other intelligence agencies are having a very tough time weaning themselves off the use of contractors.”

“The Takeaway” is a national morning news program, delivering the news and analysis you need to catch up, start your day, and prepare for what’s ahead. The show is a co-production of WNYC and PRI, in editorial collaboration with the BBC, The New York Times Radio, and WGBH. More at thetakeaway.org