Stolen Amer. goods bound for GIs in Afghan. fill bazaars in Pakista

[donsu]

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060611/NEWS08/606110301


Ten miles west of the frontier town of Peshawar on the road to Khyber Pass there is a collection of roadside commercial buildings commonly known as Bara Markets. These markets are just inside the tribal territory and hence outside the reach of Pakistani laws.

The buildings, some modern-looking three-story shopping arcades, others one-story, plain and shabby brick and cement structures, have one thing in common: They all sell smuggled merchandise, and people from all over the country flock to these markets to buy foreign goods at reasonable prices. The latest twist in this shadowy world of smuggling is the availability of merchandise that is meant for American forces in Afghanistan.

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Now the American presence in Afghanistan has brought an interesting twist: Some of the goods destined for American forces in Afghanistan ends up in these markets. While the bulk of the merchandise that is sold in these markets is legal, the availability of American goods is intriguing. How does American government-issued stuff end up in these markets? Or how do the secured containers in passage through Pakistan to Afghanistan spring such huge leaks?

Goods taken off trucks

Some of the merchants in the market, unlike their boss Qalandar Shah, were candid about the process. The American containers remain intact in their 1,200-mile journey from Karachi to Peshawar. At Peshawar the containers are placed on flat-bed trucks for the 270-mile ride to Kabul, where they have to pass through the tribal territory around Khyber Pass. This is where the containers are pilfered and merchandise is brought to these markets for sale. This was confirmed by government officials and also by Michael Spangler, the officer in charge of the American consulate in Peshawar.

-snip-

In short, here in this bazaar one could equip a small army and have the fighting men and women live in style. No arms or ammunition is sold in these bazaars. For that, one has to go to the tribal bazaar at Dara Adam Khel 20 miles to the south.
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the article said you can find any american article sold in US superstores

[TomInTib]

1. No conflict is complete without a black market.

My late father-in-law made his first millions as an Army Storekeeper in Korea.

He had some great stories about those times.

[donsu]

2. he made his first millions being a thief?

nt

[TomInTib]

3. Well, yeah.

More like an 'enabler'.

He arranged a 'look the other way' system so the Koreans could get their hands on the goods.