[1] The cause of his death was at first reported to be a heart attack, but this came into question when three members of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division came forward to testify that CIA contractor David Passaro assaulted Wali.

Passaro, a former U.S. Army Ranger, allegedly beat Wali for two consecutive nights, causing grievous injuries including a fractured pelvis.

Prosecutors would charge that Passaro ordered soldiers not to allow Wali to sleep, limited his access to food and water and subjected him to two consecutive nights of interrogation and beatings.

[9][10] Passaro was also the first American charged under the U.S. Patriot Act, which extended the jurisdiction of U.S. federal courts to include certain violations of the law committed by military contractors overseas.

"[1] However, Passaro later said he thought his prosecution was political, telling Retro Report "I believe 100% that Abu Ghraib, when it kicked off and finally came to public's awareness, that they had to show they were going to hold the CIA accountable, so they had me."

[12] Wali's story in part was told on National Public Radio by Hyder Akbar for a 2003 show on the program This American Life.

Said Akbar has stated that Wali's death became a tool for insurgency recruiting and "created a huge setback for Afghanistan's national reconciliation efforts.