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Monday, June 4, 2012

Smash The Opium Trade in Afghanistan, War on Terror, NewAgeIslam.com

War on Terror
Smash The Opium Trade in Afghanistan
K. Subrahmanyam
5 Aug 2008

Most of the poppy cultivation is in southern Afghanistan, close to the Pakistan border, by Pathans who form the core support base of Karzai. He is, therefore, ambivalent about the destruction of poppy crops. While the US Drug Enforcement Agency had urged destroying the crops through aerial spraying of herbicide, Karzai had objected to it on the ground it was not acceptable and has favoured ground destruction of the crop. Such ground destruction is less efficient, takes more manpower and needs security personnel to protect those destroying the crop from Taliban attacks. The result is that Afghanistan’s poppy cultivation is expanding and is expected to produce a bountiful crop this year.

The poppy crop is profitable for the farmer, local drug lord, corrupt bureaucracy and, above all, the Taliban which controls the area. In these circumstances, Karzai can only be the mayor of Kabul, as he is often described. According to Schweich, the Pentagon has taken a stand that eradication of narcotics is not part of their mission. The result is that Taliban gets unlimited resources to fight the war against the US and not allow Karzai to consolidate his rule. He is, therefore, of the view that unless Karzai is compelled to change his stand and the Pentagon treats narcotics elimination on a war footing, it would be difficult to bring the war against Taliban to an early conclusion.

http://newageislam.com/smash-the-opium-trade-in-afghanistan/war-on-terror/d/434


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