Pubdate: Fri, 24 Jan 2003
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)
Copyright: 2003 Lexington Herald-Leader
Contact:  http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/240
Author: Malcolm Garcia

AFGHANS STRUGGLE WITHOUT POPPY

Crop Crackdown Threatening Peace

JALALABAD, Afghanistan - The governor of Nangahar Province in eastern 
Afghanistan warned 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, as opposed 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," the 
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.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens