'Possible' CSIS relied on Afghan intel extracted by torture: official

Canada's spy service says it's "possible" that information received from Afghanistan's notorious secret police may have been extracted by the torture of Canadian-transferred detainees.

But the Canadian Security Intelligence Service says it is forbidden from relying on any intelligence it suspects comes from torture or abuse.

Michel Coulombe of CSIS told the special committee on the Afghanistan mission Wednesday the agency shared information with the Afghan National Directorate of Security, or NDS.

There are allegations the NDS and other Afghan authorities abused prisoners in their custody.

Asked whether NDS intelligence could have been beaten out of prisoners in Afghan custody, Coulombe acknowledged: "That is possible."

"We were not aware of the techniques used to obtain the information."

CSIS can go back to its sources and ask how they obtained their information if the spy agency suspects torture is involved, Coulombe said.

"At the end of the day, if a doubt remains the departmental directive is such that we must not rely on that information," he said.

"There is a caveat that is placed on the information that will follow that piece of evidence around, stating that the information must not be used because it may have been obtained by means of torture or mistreatment. So the information is identified to ensure that it is not used."

CSIS also doesn't appear to have qualms about relying on sources that may at times extract their information through torture.

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