COUNTERNARCOTICS: LESSONS FROM THE U.S. EXPERIENCE IN AFGHANISTAN

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction ^ | 6/14/18 | John F. Sopko

[gandalftb]

This report examines the U.S. counternarcotics effort in Afghanistan, detailing how DOD and State, USAID, and the DEA tried to deter farmers and traffickers from growing and trading of opium.

[gandalftb]

Opium has been cultivated in Afghanistan for centuries. It was under royal control from 1933 to 1973.

Annual production had been under 100,000 hectares until the Taliban banned it in 2000 when it dropped to about zero. The Taliban, though, didn't offer any alternatives to farmers and faced widespread revolt.

We invaded in 2001 but did very little about poppies until 2003, when we appointed a “drug czar” for Afghanistan......

In 2005, the first U.S. counternarcotics strategy for Afghanistan was issued emphasizing eradication.

Obama's 2014 military drawdown caused the DEA to completely withdraw from all the provinces.

In 11 years from 2003 to 2014 cultivation roughly doubled.

In the last 3 years since the drawdown, cultivation almost doubled again, now more than 810,000 acres or 1,266 square miles.

Afghan poppy farming supports about 590,000 full-time jobs. Farmers, processors, smugglers, and people that shoot at us.

The coalition forces, including contractors is somewhere around 8% of the poppy industry forces. The Afghan government only controls about half the country.

Very thorough report, sat photos before and after, good conclusions.

Mainly, there is no hope of even controlling opium with the current corrupt government and our limited forces.

[DesertRhino]

“The Afghan government only controls about half the country.”

Well to be fair, we’ve only been fighting there for 17 years. In another 30 or 40 we’ll have it nailed down.

[gandalftb]

And! In those years we’ve spent 8.6 billion dollars to eradicate the poppy farming that has actually grown about 500%.

[Grimmy]

Part of our “government” is working to eradicate the illegal drug industry while the other part of our “government” is working to more fully exploit that same illegal drug industry for it’s own profit, gain and games.

We have US gov agents on both sides of the fight killing each other.

[DIRTYSECRET]

I’m thinking of the $45 million gas station.

[gandalftb]

We’ve also been protecting many of the farmers from bandits wanting to steal their poppy money.

That means we’re paying for both sides of the fight.

[ViLaLuz]

the Taliban banned it in 2000 when it dropped to about zero.
......................
Baloney! The Taliban forced people to grow it. They aren’t against making money as long as the drugs are sold to non-islamics.

[DesertRhino]

“Baloney! The Taliban forced people to grow it. “

That simply isn’t true. It is very well documented fact that they brought it almost to a halt. Of course that was in the context of crushing and reordering the entire society, but they did indeed.

[Jmouse007]

Burn it, salt the fields and habitually carpet bomb anyone and everything trying to regrow it. Problem solved once and for all.

These "farmers" and "workers" are producing a poison specifically designed to addict and ultimately kill the user. They are directly responsible for countless millions of deaths and untold misery around the globe. These "farmers" don't deserve to be pitied, their "family business" needs to be utterly destroyed.

As far as what happeneds to them afterwards, NOT OUR PROBLEM. Let them learn to work producing something benificial to the world instead of deadly poison. If they can't or refuse to do so then, let nature take its course. Again, NOT OUR PROBLEM.

[43north]

Time for some Round Up bombs.

[gandalftb]

Only about 1% of US heroin comes from Afghanistan through Canada.

Nearly all our heroin is grown and processed in Mexico.

Would you recommend the same treatment to Mexico?

[Jmouse007]

If the circumstances were the same as in Afghanistan, yes. I.e. If United States had been invited into the country by the government, and was sanctioned by the government to engage in a war on terrorism; the financing of terrorism; and those structures, facilities and resources directly associated with it and the terrorists ultimate goal of "destroying the lives of infidels, and their countries from within" by any means possible so that they can be conquered for Islam; including flooding said countries with heroin. Then yes, absolutely. However, you know the circumstances between the two countries are not the same.

That said, were the Mexican government fundamentally change from being a belligerent narco state. End its government sanctioned support for the narcotics; hostilities against the United States and actively seek to destroy the narcotics industry and request our advice, logistics aid and support to do so then I would absolutely give them the exact same plan for dealing with the heroine industry within their country.

The Mexican government, military and law enforcement alone would be involved with carrying out "the plan" to eradicate the heroine business within their border.

Unfortunately, the above scenario is highly unlikely. Hence another overwhelming reason and need to "build the wall".

[gandalftb]

Amen on the wall.