The Italian government has recently come out to deny allegations that it bribed Taliban leaders in 2008 to maintain calm in an area of Afghanistan under Italian control. The report cited NATO and western intelligence that Italian forces had made secret payments to the Taliban, without informing the French troops who subsequently took over the region. Only a month later, in the largest NATO loss in several years, 10 French soldiers were killed in an ambush in the area, horrifying the French public and adding to the difficulty the United States faces in persuading NATO to not only sustain but increase troop involvement in Afghanistan. The report, which was released in a British newspaper, also stated that the US ambassador in Rome at the time made formal diplomatic protests to the Berlusconi government over payments to the Taliban. The embassy declined to comment on the allegations, while the government denied any such protest.
By: Megan Shoemate
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