US money 'being funnelled to the Taliban'

Millions of pounds of American taxpayer funds were funnelled into supporting the Taliban by trucking companies paying protection money a US military study has reportedly found.

Half the main freight companies ferrying food, fuel and building materials to American troops were involved in a "criminal enterprise or support for the enemy" it suggests.

Details of the military-led investigation followed a separate report which found America had squandered £21 billion of taxpayers' money on private sector contracts during a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The investigation found trucking contracts were riddled with profiteering, money laundering and kickbacks to Afghan strongmen – often through a labyrinth of subcontractors.

The Nato allies spend vast sums ferrying materiel through deserts and mountains prone to attack by bandits and insurgents. America prefers to use Afghan hauliers and security firms to free up its own troops for fighting and to stimulate the Afghan economy.