Chemical 'warfare' angers Afghans

[bemildred]

Gosh, I wonder who it could be?

BANGALORE - With poppy cultivation in Afghanistan touching new highs in 2004, eradication measures to stamp out the cultivation of the crop are expected to turn more aggressive in the coming months. However, the deep rage and resentment generated by recent incidents of aerial spraying of chemicals on poppy crops in the eastern provinces of Afghanistan indicates that the Afghan government, and the US and Britain - the two countries that are at the forefront of the international effort to combat the Afghan narcotics trade - might need to move more cautiously.

According to the UN Afghanistan Opium Survey 2004, opium cultivation in Afghanistan this year has shown a 64% increase in comparison with 2003. However, because of bad weather and disease, the 2004 opium yield per hectare had been lowered by almost 30%, resulting in a total output of 4,200 tons. While this is lower than the 1999 output of 4,600 tons, the 2004 output is 17% higher than in 2003. Today Afghanistan accounts for 87% of the world's opium cultivation and this year earned an estimated US$2.8 billion. A tenth of the Afghan population is involved in the production and trade of opium.

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Not surprisingly, the dusting of the poppy crops with herbicide has triggered off immense anger among the villagers, who see the destruction of the poppy crops - their only source of income - as destruction of their livelihood. The poorer farmers now face economic ruin. Who is behind the chemical spraying of the crops is still unclear. The Karzai government insists that it is opposed to "aerial spraying as an instrument of eradication" of the poppy crop and "has not authorized any foreign entity, any foreign government, any foreign company, or anyone else to carry out aerial spraying".

Most Afghans point an accusing finger at the Americans or the British, but both countries have denied involvement in the spraying. The US Embassy in Kabul insists that the US government has "not conducted any aerial eradication , nor has it contracted or subcontracted anyone to do it on its behalf". It also denies knowing who carried out the spraying.

Asia Times

[Guarionex]

1. Plan Colombia, part deux?

Plan Afghanistan?

[bemildred]

2. Colombia is probably not a bad comparison, in a number of respects. nt

[maddezmom]

3. interesting typo in CNN transcript of Karzai and Blitzer

BLITZER: When will we begin to see a reduction in the cultivation or the production of these poppies, opium, in Afghanistan?

KARZAI: We plan to destroy the fields. We have planed a certain percentage of the fields to be destroyed this year. And we will definitely go up to the objective. Just, let's hope, that we will succeed in doing what we have planned.

And once we have done that, I can come to you, maybe in a few months' time, to say how much we will destroy this year, completely, and how much we'll go to the next year. And how we are going to replace poppies by alternative crops and by substitute farming and economy. That will take a few years to complete.

But we have resolved to fight poppies, and we will begin to destroy some of the fields this year. And we will do it.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0412/12/le.01.html

[bemildred]

5. Heh ...

You have to admit it sounds very like the horseshit they have been
feeding us on the "progress" being made in Colombia.

I wonder if there are still any of those old shoulder-fired Stingers
lying around in Afghanistan?

[Maple]

4. Must be those UFO's again

Aliens who hate poppies I guess.

[bobthedrummer]

6. Karzai is a DYN CORP STOOGE

and don't forget that when weighing his statements.