Sifting intelligence tips from vendettas in Afghanistan
For weeks, US forces hunted Hazrat Jamal. They came to his house in Sawai and bothered villagers, but he was about a half-hour away in Khost City selling cars. The Americans suspected he was tied to a recent bombing, one of a growing number in this unstable province. But Mr. Jamal’s neighbor, Shamsulrachman, suspects that the Marines were duped by bad intelligence. A hotly contested land dispute has pitted the villagers of Sawai against some local officials – some of whom work closely with US forces – and Jamal is fighting the case in court. With him out of the picture, Shamsulrachman says, the case would fizzle.Full Story