geauxtohell
Choose your weapon.
- Jun 27, 2009
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The Opium Trade is the main source of financing for many people in Afghanistan and has been for hundreds of years. This was true long long before there was an Al Qaeda & Taliban. It's part of their culture & history. We just don't have the right to tell them what they can or can't grow. If people around the World want to use opium than so be it. This is not the poor Afghan farmers' fault. If people in the West want to get high then that's the West's problem. They should deal with their own people on that issue.
Kicking down poor farmers' doors and destroying their crops is not a legitimate tactical move in my opinion. In fact it only results in the opposite effect. The Afghan People don't want this "Drug War" and never asked for it. This was also never part of the original mission either. They should just end their "Drug War" immediately. That could help mend some wounds with the Afghan People. I hope they start listening. They're losing the Afghan People.
Interdicting your enemies main source of financing is tactically legitimate and only makes good sense.
Equating it to the larger "war on drugs" arguement is silly. We can craw a direct line from our actions against the poppy trade and the Taliban's viability to conduct attacks. The farmers were put on notice when I was there in '04 (we were told that hash and opium was "hands off" before that) so there has been plenty of time for the people to adjust. I don't blame an Afghani farmer for growing a crop that brings exponentially more/jherub than alfalfa. However, they run the risk of getting slashed and burned.
Furthermore, the larger goal is to not have the number GDP in Afghanistan be a black market item that brings the government absolutely no revenue.
BTW, the Taliban also banned poppy cultivation.
Taliban - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia