Pubdate: Mon, 27 Jan 2003
Source: Bradenton Herald (FL)
Copyright: 2003 Bradenton Herald
Contact:  http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradentonherald/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/58
Author: Malcolm Garcia, Knight Ridder Newspapers

CRACKDOWN ON AFGHANISTAN'S OPIUM FARMS MAY SPARK TERROR, LEADER WARNS

JALALABAD, Afghanistan - The governor of Nangahar Province in eastern 
Afghanistan warns that the central government's crackdown on poppy farmers 
could create terrorist recruits and shatter the fragile peace in this 
former Taliban stronghold.

Gov. Haji Din Mohammed, in an interview this week with Knight Ridder, 
blamed the tensions on the slow flow of aid to the region. He said farmers 
needed support for the transition from growing lucrative poppies, from 
which opium and heroin are made, to legitimate but less profitable 
commercial crops, and warned that Afghans are losing patience as fighting 
continues but promises of aid go unfulfilled.

His comments made it clear that while the United States successfully 
toppled the Taliban government in Afghanistan, it so far hasn't provided a 
secure or stable environment that might prevent the eventual return of 
terrorists.

Mohammed complained that the United States and other nations have failed to 
disburse much of the $4.5 billion in aid they promised Afghanistan last 
year, much of which was targeted for agricultural projects.

A Western diplomat, who asked not to be identified, dismissed the criticism 
as unrealistic.

"They can't expect mountains of cash every year," this diplomat said. "I 
think the money is coming in more or less as promised. It's the complete 
dependency on aid that's disturbing, and the demand for more, more, more."

Regardless of who is to blame, the situation around Jalalabad is deteriorating.

The head of the Jalalabad office of the United Nations High Commissioner 
for Refugees said U.N. personnel had been pulled out of the villages of 
Hisark, Sherzac and Khogyani, about three hours southeast of Jalalabad, 
because of the farmers' increasing anger at aid agencies.

Farmers have accused aid organizations of passing information to 
authorities about poppy production. Roads have been mined, and U.N. 
vehicles have been shot at sporadically.

Although Jalalabad itself is considered secure, authorities here warn that 
bandits and remnants of the al-Qaida terrorist network still roam the 
countryside. A memorial to al-Qaida fighters stands off the road leading to 
Tora Bora, the scene of a major battle in 2001 between U.S.-led coalition 
forces and Taliban and al-Qaida fighters near Jalalabad.

The continuing fighting between coalition troops and al-Qaida and Taliban 
sympathizers in areas bordering Pakistan increases the region's 
vulnerability to political unrest.

"Poppies are the sustenance of our people," Mohammed said. "It has been 
economically necessary. Our people are hoping and expecting to be 
compensated and helped by international aid so they don't have to grow 
poppies. Afghans have been misused by foreign governments before. If they 
feel they are being misused again with false promises, there will be 
problems. That is when they will turn to the terrorists."

The farmers' plight comes amid rising disenchantment with the U.S.-backed 
central government and the international community's commitment to 
Afghanistan. Tensions between the West and Iraq bring worries that aid will 
slow to a trickle should the United States and other coalition partners go 
to war against Saddam Hussein.

U.S.-backed Afghan President Hamid Karzai has had trouble extending his 
power beyond Kabul to the provinces. Regional leaders such as Mohammed face 
the disenchantment of their people while trying to consolidate power in the 
absence of a strong central government, further weakening Karzai's reach.

"Karzai is not seen by the people here as their representative," Mohammed 
said. "They trust in my leadership. There is no alternative to my leadership."

Many Afghans in this predominantly ethnic Pashtun region think Karzai 
betrayed them at last summer's grand council, where he was elected 
president. Karzai appointed a Cabinet that they said didn't adequately 
represent the majority Pashtuns, who wanted a share of power equal to their 
numbers. The Taliban were predominantly Pashtun, and strong sympathy 
remains in the region for their strict interpretation of Islam.

During the grand council, Karzai named Mohammed's brother, Haji Abdul 
Qadir, a previous governor of Nangahar, as one of three vice presidents. 
Assassins in Kabul killed Qadir last July. Suspects for the murder include 
poppy growers angry about his efforts to crack down on their profitable crop.

Afghanistan has long been known as one of the world's major producers of 
opium. A recent U.N. report found that Afghanistan produced 3,400 tons of 
opium last year.

Karzai did not crack down on poppy growers when he first took office at the 
head of an interim government more than a year ago, because he feared that 
a revolt by farmers would threaten his administration.

Instead, the United Nations offered farmers about $350 each to destroy 
their crops. Many did, but others complained that instead of cash they 
received vouchers, which they had problems redeeming.

Today, many farmers owe money to drug dealers, who put up cash in advance 
for a season's crop, said Sayed Ghufran, director of the Narcotic Control 
and Rehabilitation of Afghanistan, a Jalalabad-based agency sponsored by 
the United Nations that works with farmers. A farmer can earn $600 to 
$1,000 per kilogram of opium (about 2.2 pounds), compared with $1 per 
kilogram for rice.

"The problem now is not political but economic," Ghufran said. "But 
economic problems can create political problems very quickly. When they 
feel the government isn't allowing them to make a living, that will be the 
point they rise against the government and create problems."
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MAP posted-by: Beth