Quote Originally Posted by slapout9 View Post
Wilf,
The answer is no, both the Contras and the Northern Alliance were acting under the legal authorization and cooperation of the US military and Congress (an act War) against what were/are stated to be enemies of the US. Part 2 of your question is yes, true non-state actors are criminals.
So the Northern Alliance were criminals until the US declared war on the Taliban, at which point they became lawful in the eyes of the US?

When did the US declare War on the Sandinistas? - and when did the Contras become legal and illegal?

Point being, none of this helps characterise the issue in a way that instructs guidance. It's a "so what?" categorisation.