more incompetancy (that COULD lead to more deaths)

the other day i posted a story about computer drives and flash memories from UNITED STATES MILITARY COMPUTERS being sold in the marketplaces of afghanistan. now, it turns out WE are buying them back. WE are buying our OWN HIGHLY CLASSIFIED merchandise back with what money? is it OUR money. the money you and i pay for taxes?

U.S. Buys Back Stolen Data by Afghan Base

By DANIEL COONEY, Associated Press WriterFri Apr 14, 2:50 PM ET

American investigators armed with a "box full" of cash have paid thousands of dollars to buy back stolen computer drives — many of which contain sensitive military data, shopkeepers outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan said Friday.

But dozens are still on sale, including memory sticks with information ranging from U.S. troop resumes to photographs of Air Force One during President Bush's visit last month.

The surfacing of the stolen computer devices has sparked an urgent probe to discover how security could have been breached at the heavily guarded Bagram base, which coordinates the fight against Taliban and al-Qaida militants and includes one of the military's main detention facilities for suspected terrorists.

U.S. military spokesman Lt. Mike Cody said he could not comment because an investigation was ongoing.

Shopkeepers let an Associated Press reporter review about 40 of the drives on a laptop computer Friday. Most were blank or did not work, but three contained data, including a soldier's military discharge certificate, troop resumes and photographs of Air Force One during Bush's visit to Afghanistan last month.

One shopkeeper, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of retribution, said soldiers went around the market outside the base Thursday carrying "a box full of afghanis (the Afghan currency), buying all they could find."...........