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| Afghanistan/South Asia | |
| Taliban funded by Afghan opium | |
| 2004-02-11 | |
Hundreds of millions of dollars a year from Afghanistan’s illicit drug trade end up in the pockets of Islamic militant groups like the Taliban and al Qaida, the head of the U.N. drug-fighting body said today.
The conference set five action plans, including strengthening law enforcement, developing alternative livelihoods and setting up a proper criminal justice system. Budgets for the proposals will go to an aid-pledging conference planned for late March or April in Germany. "With these five action plans, we can now establish a budget of what is needed so we can confront donors," Costa told reporters. He declined to say how much money was needed. UNODC estimates Afghan opium production last year at 3,600 tons, a 6 percent rise over the previous year. More worrying, Costa said, was that surveys of farmers showed a further increase of opium -- from which heroin is derived -- was likely this year. Costa said he had no figures, but estimated that at least several hundred million dollars of Afghanistan’s estimated opium output of $2.3 billion ends up in the hands of groups like the Taliban and al Qaida. The militants are believed to control many of the smuggling routes across Afghanistan’s rugged eastern frontier into Pakistan, making collection relatively easy. That threatens Karzai’s efforts to establish a viable economy in the war-shattered country. Costa said the political effort of the government was good, "but the more we allow the narco-economy to become ingrained in the behavior of the people ... the greater the risk the country will go the wrong way." Karzai has banned opium cultivation, but his government’s weakness in the provinces and the violence and insecurity caused by resurgent Taliban guerrillas and rival pro-government commanders have helped the trade flourish. Costa repeated a call for a NATO-led force and U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan to help cut off trafficking and shipments of opium and heroin. "Fighting drug trafficking equals fighting terrorism," he said. | |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 The UN catches on to the drug money - Taliban / AlQ connection. Doesn't this deserve at least one F**kin Duh? "The next 18 to 24 months are going to be critical..." How, uh, um, er, obvious. This reminds me of the Naisbitt / MegaTrends BS. When is the next 18-24 months of your life (or a country's life) not critical? Every step taken limits the options available at the next step... and if a step is mistaken, you usually don't know it until many steps later. That's the problem with those goddamned humans: they want life to be serial, when reality runs in parallel! In programmer-speak, this would be the procedural model vs. the event-driven model. Anyway, it's a jewel of disingenuous diplo-speak, so let's give this UN whiz another F**kin Duh, shall we? "allow the narco-economy to become ingrained..." And, uh, it isn't already? Oh, that must be his next revelation. He's saving it for when he needs another contract or grant, I guess. F**kin Duh. Pledging money to the UN who would hand it to people such as Costa to administer would be remarkably foolish. He's way back there learning the primer, fully believing he's blazing a new trail, it seems... F**kin Dope. The UN. Pfeh. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-2-11 10:59:31 AM |