U.S. intelligence agents are getting more information about Taliban movements in Afghanistan from local warlords by giving the latter Viagra pills, which they prefer more than cash, weapons or other items.

The diamond-shaped blue pills for treating male erectile dysfunction have apparently revived the virility of elder tribal leaders who have young wives, one unnamed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative told the Washington Post.

The Viagra comes with health checks to ensure that the Afghan informants do not get overly excited.

CIA agents also said tribal chieftains prefer exchanging Taliban information for Viagra because the pill is more discreet than cash. Taliban spies can easily identify CIA informants by the many things they buy whenever they are given dollars by U.S. intelligence agents for their cooperation.

"If you give somebody $1,000, he'll go out and buy the shiniest junk he can find, and it will be apparent that he has suddenly come into a lot of money from someone," said Jamie Smith, a veteran of CIA covert operations in Afghanistan, according to the Daily Mail.