"American officials say they were skeptical from the start about the identity of the man who claimed to be Mullah Mansour — who by some accounts is the second-ranking official in the Taliban, behind only the founder, Mullah Mohammed Omar. Serious doubts arose after the third meeting with Afghan officials, held in the southern city of Kandahar. A man who had known Mr. Mansour years ago told Afghan officials that the man at the table did not resemble him. “He said he didn’t recognize him,” said an Afghan leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "
---"Taliban Leader in Secret Talks Was an Impostor" The New York Times, November 23, 2010
Furthermore, "Mr. Mansour," known throughout Central Asia for his fearsome demeanour and merciless attitude toward "Infidels," lacked a certain physical "presence."
Other possible clues to the imposture become obvous in retrospect:
--For lunch, Mr. "Mansour" requested a Reuben sandwich, despite the fact that, according to the CIA's dossier, the terrorist despises Russian dressing.
--"Mr." Mansour repeatedly mispronounced "Taliban."
--Mr"." Mansour said he would help broker formal peace talks between the Taliban ("Tellybone") and the Afghan government, but only if Hamid Karzai would give him his cape.
Seriously, though, how the negotiators couldn't have figured out that Mansour was a fake when he showed up with his Korean daughter is beyond us-- What's that? His WIFE?!? OK, that's just sick.
(Image from Listal.com)
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