The Intercept: In October 2008, the Justice Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration heralded the arrest of Haji Juma Khan on narcotics and terror charges. His capture, they said, dealt a punishing blow to the Taliban and the symbiotic relationship between the insurgent group and Afghan drug traffickers. Yet, unbeknownst to all but the closest observers of
VOA News | April 30,2018: Poppy harvest season is underway in Afghanistan, the world’s largest producer of opium. Farmers in eastern Nangarhar province say they do not have any other options but to cultivate poppy to make a living. U.S. and Afghan forces continue to target drug-processing labs across Afghanistan in order to target Taliban financial
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan | April 25, 2018: Afghans heading to take part in the opium harvest tell RFE/RL they have no other way of making a living. Afghanistan is the world’s biggest poppy producer. Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400,
Jeff Seldin VOA News March 28, 2018 PENTAGON — Efforts to bolster Afghanistan’s armed forces, along with an increased use of American air power, seem to be doing little to change the country’s reputation as a magnet for foreign fighters and jihadists. Afghan officials have been warning for months about the flow of 3,000 foreign fighters,
Al Jazeera / March 17, 2018: Opium production in Afghanistan has been on the rise since the US invasion in 2001. Last year 9,000 tonnes were produced, an increase of 87 percent. As a result, the record number of people turning to drugs in desperation is also increasing. Al Jazeera’s Tony Birtley reports from Kabul, Afghanistan.
Ozy: Because new tactics are giving farmers an alternative to poppy fields. Abdul Hadi is a farmer in a village in southern Afghanistan. For more than a decade, he has wrestled with the difficult landscape, producing wheat and other sustainability crops despite failing irrigation systems and harsh winters. “Less than half of the farmers could afford to
The Diplomat: On December 11, 2017, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized NATO’s efforts to combat drug trafficking in Afghanistan. In a press conference in New Delhi, Lavrov claimed that Afghanistan’s rampant narcotics trade fuels terrorism in Central and South Asia. Lavrov also urged the West to end the “double standards” that undercut NATO’s drug enforcement
VOA News / December 12, 2017 Carla Babb PENTAGON — American military officials say the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan has destroyed 25 illegal drug-processing laboratories in Helmand province, eliminating $80 million in narcotics money during the first three weeks of an air campaign aimed at countering Taliban revenue. Speaking via teleconference from Kabul, U.S. Air Force
VOA News December 2, 2017 ISLAMABAD — The top U.S. general in Afghanistan said Saturday recently launched joint strikes against Taliban sources of revenue have destroyed more than $50 million worth of narcotics in southern Helmand province. Afghanistan produces about 85 percent of the world’s opium. Income generated from drugs is providing 60 percent of the
Ayaz Gul VOA News November 20, 2017 ISLAMABAD — The United States has launched its first counter-narcotics military offensive in partnership with local allies in Afghanistan to try to deprive the resurgent Taliban of its largest source of funding. The move follows years of criticism that international forces are not doing enough to curb the opium