NATO Commander: Afghanistan Drug Raids Imminent
MUNICH – In an effort to strike at a key income source for Taliban militants, the top NATO commander said Sunday that operations to attack drug lords and labs in Afghanistan will begin within the “next several days.”
Gen. John Craddock, who also heads the U.S. European Command, also said that the U.S. and its allies are making progress in their efforts to fill the need for more troops, equipment and intelligence gathering in Afghanistan. He, however, would not disclose any specific commitments he got this weekend as world leaders met at a security conference here.
NATO defense ministers, during a meeting last fall in Hungary, authorized troops in Afghanistan to launch the drug attacks, but there had been questions about whether allies would be willing to follow through. Money from Afghanistan’s booming illicit drug trade has been blamed for pumping up to $100 million a year into the coffers of resurgent Taliban fighters.
“Activities and actions will occur soon that will be helpful,” Craddock told reporters. “We’ve got to get started.”
The U.S. delegation to the security conference, led by Vice President Joe Biden, was expected to talk to allies this weekend about the ongoing need for support in Afghanistan. Craddock said he still needs about 5,000 NATO troops to bolster Afghan forces during the coming elections, and he is confident he will get them from other NATO nations.
At the same time, he said he still has a critical need for trainers that he has yet to fill, and the expected announcement about a forthcoming build-up in U.S. forces has been delayed as the Pentagon juggles the numbers in the face of an ongoing review by the new Obama administration.
Allies, said Craddock, “expected they would be asked to step up and do more. Now it’s a matter of political will.”
Leaders have speculated that good will surrounding the inauguration of President Barack Obama would generate greater efforts by NATO allies to send additional resources to Afghanistan. Pentagon officials have said they expect to send as many as 30,000 more troops there, including several brigades in the coming months.
(AP)
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Don’t these assholes know anything about OP-SEC????? BK
Too bad this wasn’t done 6 yrs. ago, now it’s just gonna infuriate Karzai and his buddies in the Durrani tribe and probably lead to Karzai being blown to kingdom come by his fellow tribesmen.
i agree Buck.
this wont be good. fighting a drug war while fighting a regular war should not be our mission. if they want to fly over and napalm all the poppy fields thats one thing, but going house to house kicking in doors and trying to police Afghanistan, i just dont see it going too well.
It is my understanding that we have already introduced the growing of saffron to replace poppy growing. This does three things. It makes more money for the farmers than poppies. It keeps money from going to the opium traders/heroin manufacturers and sellers. Lastly, it takes market share away from Iran which had a 95% market share.
At the present price of $3,000 per kilo it ain’t cheap stuff at all. Crop yields are about 1.5 to 10 kilos per acre. While the farmer is certainly not be getting that big price, let’s just say he gets $1,000/acre that is a lot better than corn prices in Iowa and without all that investment in giant tractors, fertilizer, etc…
The U.S. has been also been introducing saffron as a replacement crop for poppies. This conversion accomplishes several things. Present market value is up this year from around $2,000 to $3,000 per kilogram. Production rates from 1.5 to 20 kilos per acre. That is a heap better than corn in Iowa. Second, it goes through normal legal market rather than the illegal market operated by the Taliban thus cutting them out of the profit chain. Third, Iran presently has about 95% market share and with time will bring their overall income down.
If a farm grows corn at about 160 bushels per acre at even $3.80 per bushel is about $600 per acre income. Whereas, the income even at $1,000 per kilo at 1.5 kilos per acres is more than double this price. It may not be long before Afghan farmers are seen driving around in brand new diesel dually pickups with a gun rack against the rear window, wearing cowboy boots and chewing Redman.
This is the same thing that happened with WMD’s in Iraq. Of course we didnt find any, because we told’em weeks ahead of time “hey we’re coming to get your WMD’s, there better not be any when we get there” Kinda like the cops knocking at a crackhouse door, saying “we know what u got in there, we’ll be back next tuesday”…DUH. even a crackhead is smart enuf to flush the proof. but try explaining that to a dem…deer in headlights…but but but…there were no WMD’s!!!
Oh no, bad news for all of you Heroin addicts.
Prices are about to go up….