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The pharmaceutical enhancements are being used to entice aging patriarchs in Afghanistan, who readily swap information about the Taliban and al Qaeda for the drug...

American intelligence officials can use as many friends as they can make in Afghanistan at the moment. And they’ve found just the way to befriend notorious warlords who can provide information about al Qaeda and Taliban activities: by offering them Viagra. Recently, a CIA officer used four Viagra pills to win over an Afghan chieftain in his sixties, who was burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. “Take one of these. You’ll love it,” he said to the man. The enticement worked. The officer returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered important information about Taliban movements and supply routes — followed by a request for more pills.

Officials say these inducements are necessary in Afghanistan, a country where warlords and tribal leaders expect to be paid for their cooperation, and where, for some, switching sides can be as easy as changing tunics. While the CIA has a long history of buying information with cash, the growing Taliban insurgency has prompted the use of novel incentives to gain support in some of the country’s roughest neighbourhoods.