US mercenaries spill blood over Afghan opium

[cal04]

It was the first day of Afghanistan's new opium eradication programme and the quiet town of Maiwand in Kandahar province had been chosen for action. Hundreds of Afghan eradicators under the command of American private security contractors were going to head into the fields around the town and destroy the beautiful red and white blooms days before they could be harvested for their narcotic sap.

But instead of the peaceful, model operation that was promised as an example to demonstrate the Kabul government's serious intentions, Maiwand and its surrounding villages exploded into violence in what could be a foretaste of resistance to Western-backed efforts to bring Afghanistan's opium industry under control. By the end of yesterday four government soldiers had been wounded by gunfire from farmers, American security contractors were said to be sheltering behind razor wire in a protected camp, and Afghan police and counter-narcotics forces had fought fierce battles which local people said left five dead. Plans to eradicate poppies were temporarily shelved in the area as political bigwigs shuttled to and fro trying to ease tensions and broker some kind of deal with the angry opium farmers.


Local people told us to go no further, and a passing police commander ordered three of his men to guard us. They assumed macho poses with their AK-47s and gave us bubble-gum. One of them said the fighting had been so fierce it must have been the Taliban helping farmers to fight back. A local man heard there were journalists near by and rode out of the town on his moped past the burning tyres to voice the passions being violently expressed within it.

"The farmers are angry with the Americans and the Kabul government," said Ahmed Weil. "It is only the fields of the poor that are being destroyed, not the fields of the rich." Afghans complain that wealthy warlords keep their stockpiles of opium while poor farmers are stopped from growing the crop or have their fields cut down. There are also persistent claims that farmers are spared eradication if they can afford to bribe teams, or if they share the clan background of eradicators.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=628858

[jimshoes]

1. Silly poor people...

the rich have paid their protection money. It's the *co way.

[Moderator]

2. kick to combine

[emad]

3. US mercenaries spill blood over Afghan opium

The Independent
By Nick Meo in Kandahar province
13 April 2005


It was the first day of Afghanistan's new opium eradication programme and the quiet town of Maiwand in Kandahar province had been chosen for action.

Hundreds of Afghan eradicators under the command of American private security contractors were going to head into the fields around the town and destroy the beautiful red and white blooms days before they could be harvested for their narcotic sap.

But instead of the peaceful, model operation that was promised as an example to demonstrate the Kabul government's serious intentions, Maiwand and its surrounding villages exploded into violence in what could be a foretaste of resistance to Western-backed efforts to bring Afghanistan's opium industry under control.

By the end of yesterday four government soldiers had been wounded by gunfire from farmers, American security contractors were said to be sheltering behind razor wire in a protected camp, and Afghan police and counter-narcotics forces had fought fierce battles which local people said left five dead. Plans to eradicate poppies were temporarily shelved in the area as political bigwigs shuttled to and fro trying to ease tensions and broker some kind of deal with the angry opium farmers.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=628858

[acmavm]

4. Now that's strange, I heard that Afganistan had an election, that things

were hunky dory, and that we won our little war with the Taliban and the drug lords. Does this article insinuate that maybe things aren't as peachy keen as our Fearless Leader says they are? Or is goofy looking brain dead wife? Wasn't she just there preaching the benefits of democracy and how much better off we're gonna make their lives?

Somebody's lying.