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Alex213
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Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice
#5616194 - 05/11/06 02:31 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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No wonder the american media never mention Afghanistan anymore...
Afghan poppy farmers expect record opium crop and the Taliban will reap the rewards
By Tom Coghlan in Grishk, Helmland Province Published: 11 May 2006
Two hours' drive from the Afghan city of Kandahar, "the perfect storm" is about to break in the fields of Helmand province.
Here, in the place where British troops are to spend the next three years, a combination of factors have conspired to produce what is probably the biggest opium harvest in the history of a province that, last year, produced more than 20 per cent of the world's heroin on its own.
A law and order vacuum has allowed an increasingly well-organised drugs cartel, a corrupt local government and resurgent Taliban to structure the poppy cultivation of the province as never before. That has combined with fine growing conditions this year to produce what, if these were wine producers, might be considered a memorable vintage. And, country-wide it is now clear the poppy harvest will be close to record levels again. It is a dispiriting blow for the international counter-narcotics effort as 86 per cent of the world's heroin comes from Afghanistan.
Another Western source described the shambolic progress of a central government eradication team sent to Helmand.
Backed by American mercenaries from the Dyncorp corporation, the force suffered endless delays as Afghan drivers refused to travel to dangerous areas; a problem which was compounded when a number of Afghan police were killed by a roadside bomb clearly intended to send a warning to the force. The force's eventual impact was negligible. The central eradication force is said to cost a total of $175m this year.
Such is the glut of opium that is about to flow onto the market that the price has plummeted to less than $100 a kilogram, 50 per cent lower than it was a year ago. The relationship between price and availability is not exact but the drop is broadly indicative of anticipated market forces.
In his office in Kandahar, the province's director of drugs control, Gul Mohammad Shukran, shifted uncomfortably as The Independent ran through a list of well known millionaire drug smugglers in the province. "If I answer your questions I will be dead within three days," he said, showing us to the door.
Meanwhile, a campaign of Taliban intimidation and assassination is targeting government officials working across the south.
In Helmand it has been what one Western source called "a methodical slaughter". Four out of 12 district police chiefs have been killed in six months, further undermining the effort to establish some sort of order.
The smugglers and the Taliban were increasingly close, with the Islamic fighters suspending their operations during the poppy harvest to ensure it is safely out of the way before the Taliban's promised campaign of summer violence. The Taliban have a vested interest as they take a tax on opium produced in the region, which could be worth tens of millions of dollars this year.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article363606.ece
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Konnrade
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Alex213]
#5616246 - 05/11/06 03:09 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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What doesn't make sense to me is that the article says afghanistan produced 20% of the world's heroin, and then says it produces 86%. That's confusing.
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I find your lack of faith disturbing
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Alex213
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Konnrade]
#5616282 - 05/11/06 04:25 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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20% is from Helmand province in Afghanistan, the 86% is from Afghanistan as a whole.
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Konnrade
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Alex213]
#5616301 - 05/11/06 05:05 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Ah, I get it now.
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I find your lack of faith disturbing
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Roker
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Konnrade]
#5616308 - 05/11/06 05:26 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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The funny thing is that before the yanks bombed the shit out them, the taliban had almost erradicated the opium trade in the Afghanistan
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SirTripAlot
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Roker]
#5616402 - 05/11/06 08:01 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Allah forbids alcohol!!!
But you can get junked out on tar!!!!
-------------------- “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
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The_Red_Crayon
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: SirTripAlot]
#5616599 - 05/11/06 10:10 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
SirTripAlot said: Allah forbids alcohol!!!
But you can get junked out on tar!!!!
Its a little bit different when its used to financed the global jihad. Dont forget the huge network of WMD traffiking.
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Konnrade
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: The_Red_Crayon]
#5616709 - 05/11/06 11:02 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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I remember the anti-drug commercials that told people about how buying drugs puts money into the hands of terrorists. It was a horribly pathetic attempt at phrasing truth in such a way as to lie about it, but it was actually based on a small kernel of truth. Buying heroin might indeed be an act of participation in the market that funds terrorists.
What wasn't said was that by the time you bought the drugs, the terrorists had allready gotten paid long before then by a middleman. So NOT buying the heroin would mean jack shit to the Jihadists.
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I find your lack of faith disturbing
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zappaisgod
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Konnrade]
#5617922 - 05/11/06 04:21 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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If the middleman doesn't have an endman he is out of business, man.
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Redstorm
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: zappaisgod]
#5618122 - 05/11/06 05:04 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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I have a feeling most strung-out junkies don't really give a shit if their money goes to terrorists.
"I just need my fix, man!"
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zappaisgod
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Redstorm]
#5618189 - 05/11/06 05:20 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
Redstorm said: I have a feeling most strung-out junkies don't really give a shit if their money goes to terrorists.
"I just need my fix, man!"
I suspect you may be on to something. Call it a hunch.
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RedAlgae
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: zappaisgod]
#5618351 - 05/11/06 06:06 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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The Taliban only sell drugs to the infidels in order to help destroy them. For muslims, they get the death penalty if caught with illegal drugs.
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RedAlgae
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: zappaisgod]
#5618359 - 05/11/06 06:07 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
zappaisgod said:
Quote:
Redstorm said: I have a feeling most strung-out junkies don't really give a shit if their money goes to terrorists.
"I just need my fix, man!"
I suspect you may be on to something. Call it a hunch.
I'm glad you people are catching on to this.
Edited by RedAlgae (05/11/06 06:08 PM)
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Teragon
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Roker]
#5618385 - 05/11/06 06:13 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
Roker said: The funny thing is that before the yanks bombed the shit out them, the taliban had almost erradicated the opium trade in the Afghanistan
Why do you think we went into Afghanistan in the first place? that whole bin laden thing was just a show.
the taliban had cut down the opium/smack trade- the US govt. didn't like that one bit
not so funny, when you really think about it
-------------------- need that cash to feed them jones.
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The_Red_Crayon
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Teragon]
#5619089 - 05/11/06 09:20 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
Teragon said:
Quote:
Roker said: The funny thing is that before the yanks bombed the shit out them, the taliban had almost erradicated the opium trade in the Afghanistan
Why do you think we went into Afghanistan in the first place? that whole bin laden thing was just a show.
the taliban had cut down the opium/smack trade- the US govt. didn't like that one bit
not so funny, when you really think about it
Im glad someone has brought this up. Kind of coincidental that now we are over there Opium production is just booming.
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TheCow
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Teragon]
#5619417 - 05/11/06 11:01 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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And you can back up their not liking it how?
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The_Red_Crayon
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: TheCow]
#5619591 - 05/11/06 11:35 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Its just now that the DEA is over there. Its no secret that CIA through out time (Contra Cocaine deals in the 80's) which led to southern california being flooded with quality cocaine. Its just when the DEA or CIA or any other government agencies are handling large amounts of cash and drugs they always have a credibility problem. Call me crazy i guess.
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Vvellum
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Alex213]
#5619771 - 05/12/06 12:21 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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I wonder if any economist or statician ever compiled these high market-swings of the drug trade and compared that data with times of political crises in the US (war, for example)? I wonder if a pattern emerges...
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Alex213
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Vvellum]
#5619971 - 05/12/06 01:43 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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You're not wrong bio. US goes to south east asia, massive explosion in heroin production in south east asia. US goes to south america, massive explosion in cocaine production in south america, US goes to Afghanistan, massive explosition in heroin production.
Coincidence?
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SirTripAlot
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: Alex213]
#5623134 - 05/12/06 10:27 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Hell must of froze over, I think we are in Semi- Agreement Alex213........
-------------------- “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
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Alex213
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Posts: 1,839
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Re: Afghanistan biggest opium crop in history - Taliban rejoice [Re: SirTripAlot]
#5623601 - 05/13/06 01:33 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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We'd better go back and rethink our positions Sirtrip
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