Posted on 02/08/2009 8:51:46 AM PST by Momaw Nadon
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Translation:
Hey all you Afghan Taliban drug lords: hide your stash and get your weapons ready for "imminent" drug raids by U.S. forces according to the AP.
< /sarc >
Has Gen. John Craddock (or the AP) never heard of the expression "loose lips sink ships"?????
Yeah, AP are scum, but the general made this known, so he either has a good reason, or will be reprimanded
Why don’t we become the major customer for all their drugs. We can burn what we buy, but they will love us if we are their best coustomer.
translation.
Top NATO commander heavily invested in drug running and loss of profit potential.
Just a friendly alert.
That is a great idea. While most of the opium crop there is converted into pure heroin-I remember reading once that heroin is just as effective a pain killer as morphine. Does anyone know if there are any legimate uses for heroin?
I'm guessing that any profits the Taliban makes from drug sales will be used to buy weapons and ammunition to be used against us.
I have a feeling there is a reason why the General was telling reporters about this. I bet it’s all part of whatever game they are playing. Maybe they’re leaning on some people trying to get them to help us and they need to make this announcement to let them know we are serious about attacking. I don’t know. But reporters found out about this through a news conference, not investigative reporting. There is probably something going on behind the scenes that the General had in mind when he made these announcements to reporters. Maybe not, but usually at these news conferences these people know exactly what they are going to say and they have their reasons for saying the things they are going to say.
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