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US. Army uses biometric identification system to screen Afghan population

Spc Halbrook Jeremiah from US army HHB 3-7 Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Bct 25th ID smokes as he scans eyes of an Afghan man with an Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) during a mission in Turkham Nangarhar bordering with Pakistan on September 28, 2011. Turkham is a border crossing town in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Khyber Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. A decade of fighting in Afghanistan has since snowballed into a huge effort involving around 130,000 foreign troops from dozens of countries, with the resilient Taliban using homemade bombs and guerrilla tactics in a bid to undermine the Afghan government and the NATO mission. AFP PHOTO / Tauseef MUSTAFA (Photo credit should read TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)
Spc Halbrook Jeremiah from US army HHB 3-7 Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Bct 25th ID smokes as he scans eyes of an Afghan man with an Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) during a mission in Turkham Nangarhar bordering with Pakistan on September 28, 2011. Turkham is a border crossing town in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Khyber Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. A decade of fighting in Afghanistan has since snowballed into a huge effort involving around 130,000 foreign troops from dozens of countries, with the resilient Taliban using homemade bombs and guerrilla tactics in a bid to undermine the Afghan government and the NATO mission. AFP PHOTO / Tauseef MUSTAFA (Photo credit should read TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP - Getty Images
By Rich Shulman

It is fascinating to see what the army is doing with this technology in Afghanistan. No doubt American citizens would never go along with the government doing this at home. Wired reports:

Scanning prisoners’ irises is just Step 1. In Afghanistan, local and NATO forces are amassing biometric dossiers on hundreds of thousands of cops, crooks, soldiers, insurgents and ordinary citizens. And now, with NATO’s backing, the Kabul government is putting together a plan to issue biometrically backed identification cards to 1.65 million Afghans by next May.

SPC Tolbert Brandon from US army HHB 3-7 Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Bct 25th ID scans feyes of an Afghan man with Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) during a mission in Turkham Nangarhar bordering with Pakistan on September 28, 2011. Turkham is a border crossing town in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Khyber Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. A decade of fighting in Afghanistan has since snowballed into a huge effort involving around 130,000 foreign troops from dozens of countries, with the resilient Taliban using homemade bombs and guerrilla tactics in a bid to undermine the Afghan government and the NATO mission. AFP PHOTO / Tauseef MUSTAFA (Photo credit should read TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)
SPC Tolbert Brandon from US army HHB 3-7 Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Bct 25th ID scans feyes of an Afghan man with Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) during a mission in Turkham Nangarhar bordering with Pakistan on September 28, 2011. Turkham is a border crossing town in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Khyber Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. A decade of fighting in Afghanistan has since snowballed into a huge effort involving around 130,000 foreign troops from dozens of countries, with the resilient Taliban using homemade bombs and guerrilla tactics in a bid to undermine the Afghan government and the NATO mission. AFP PHOTO / Tauseef MUSTAFA (Photo credit should read TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP - Getty Images

Spc Halbrook Jeremiah from US army HHB 3-7 Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Bct 25th ID smokes as he scans eyes of an Afghan man with an Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) during a mission in Turkham Nangarhar bordering with Pakistan on September 28, 2011. Turkham is a border crossing town in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Khyber Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. A decade of fighting in Afghanistan has since snowballed into a huge effort involving around 130,000 foreign troops from dozens of countries, with the resilient Taliban using homemade bombs and guerrilla tactics in a bid to undermine the Afghan government and the NATO mission. AFP PHOTO / Tauseef MUSTAFA (Photo credit should read TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)
Spc Halbrook Jeremiah from US army HHB 3-7 Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Bct 25th ID smokes as he scans eyes of an Afghan man with an Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) during a mission in Turkham Nangarhar bordering with Pakistan on September 28, 2011. Turkham is a border crossing town in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Khyber Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. A decade of fighting in Afghanistan has since snowballed into a huge effort involving around 130,000 foreign troops from dozens of countries, with the resilient Taliban using homemade bombs and guerrilla tactics in a bid to undermine the Afghan government and the NATO mission. AFP PHOTO / Tauseef MUSTAFA (Photo credit should read TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP - Getty Images

Pfc Lee Jarod (L), Pfc Wheeler Russel (C) and Charleston Robert from US army HHB 3-7 Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Bct 25th ID scann Afghans as part of Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) during a mission in Turkham Nangarhar bordering with Pakistan on September 27, 2011. Turkham is a border crossing town in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Khyber Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.A decade of fighting in Afghanistan has since snowballed into a huge effort involving around 130,000 foreign troops from dozens of countries, with the resilient Taliban using homemade bombs and guerrilla tactics in a bid to undermine the Afghan government and the NATO mission. AFP PHOTO/Tauseef MUSTAFA. (Photo credit should read TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)
Pfc Lee Jarod (L), Pfc Wheeler Russel (C) and Charleston Robert from US army HHB 3-7 Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Bct 25th ID scann Afghans as part of Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) during a mission in Turkham Nangarhar bordering with Pakistan on September 27, 2011. Turkham is a border crossing town in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Khyber Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.A decade of fighting in Afghanistan has since snowballed into a huge effort involving around 130,000 foreign troops from dozens of countries, with the resilient Taliban using homemade bombs and guerrilla tactics in a bid to undermine the Afghan government and the NATO mission. AFP PHOTO/Tauseef MUSTAFA. (Photo credit should read TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP - Getty Images

Pfc Lee Jarod from US army HHB 3-7 Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Bct 25th ID scans finger prints of an Afghan man as part of Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) during a mission in Turkham Nangarhar bordering with Pakistan on September 27, 2011. Turkham is a border crossing town in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Khyber Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. A decade of fighting in Afghanistan has since snowballed into a huge effort involving around 130,000 foreign troops from dozens of countries, with the resilient Taliban using homemade bombs and guerrilla tactics in a bid to undermine the Afghan government and the NATO mission. AFP PHOTO/Tauseef MUSTAFA. (Photo credit should read TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)
Pfc Lee Jarod from US army HHB 3-7 Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Bct 25th ID scans finger prints of an Afghan man as part of Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) during a mission in Turkham Nangarhar bordering with Pakistan on September 27, 2011. Turkham is a border crossing town in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Khyber Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. A decade of fighting in Afghanistan has since snowballed into a huge effort involving around 130,000 foreign troops from dozens of countries, with the resilient Taliban using homemade bombs and guerrilla tactics in a bid to undermine the Afghan government and the NATO mission. AFP PHOTO/Tauseef MUSTAFA. (Photo credit should read TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)TAUSEEF MUSTAFA / AFP - Getty Images
Rich Shulman
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