Pubdate: Tue, 11 Jul 2006
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2006 The New York Times Company
Contact:  http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Author: David S. Cloud
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

RUMSFELD, IN TAJIKISTAN, URGES TOUGH STAND AGAINST TALIBAN

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, Tuesday, July 11 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. 
Rumsfeld said while traveling here for talks on Monday that proceeds 
from the rampant narcotics trade in Central Asia were fueling the 
insurgency in Afghanistan, with the Taliban insurgents making common 
cause with heroin traffickers. Skip to next paragraph Enlarge this 
Image Reuters Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld with President 
Emomali Rahmonov of Tajikistan in Dushanbe, the capital.

Intelligence reports indicate that Taliban militants are offering 
protection to Afghan drug traffickers in return for money to finance 
the insurgency, Mr. Rumsfeld said. "Any time there's that much money 
floating around and you have people like the Taliban, it gives them 
an opportunity to fund their efforts," he said.

He made the remarks while traveling to Tajikistan, an impoverished 
former Soviet republic and one of the main smuggling routes for 
heroin coming from Afghanistan. He met Monday evening with President 
Emomali Rahmonov and other top officials about how to strengthen 
security along the Afghan-Tajik border and other issues, officials said.

Mr. Rumsfeld arrived in Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Tuesday for 
talks with President Hamid Karzai.

Though American officials have warned for several years that the 
heroin trade is fueling corruption in the Afghan government, Mr. 
Rumsfeld's comments indicated growing concern that the problem could 
be contributing to violence, particularly in the south, where the 
Taliban are strongest and much of the heroin is grown.

He called on governments in Russia and Europe, the destination for 
much of the smuggled heroin, to do more to reduce demand for drugs 
and to aid Mr. Karzai's government.

"Western Europe ought to have an enormous interest in the success of 
Afghanistan, and it's going to take a lot more interest on their part 
for the Karzai government to be successful," he said, adding that he 
was worried that the drug trade "could conceivably end up adversely 
affecting the democratic process in the country."

At a news conference with Mr. Rumsfeld, Tajikistan's foreign 
minister, Talbak Nazarov, complained that Tajikistan "is always 
blamed as the country that serves as the transit point for Afghan 
drugs." But seizures of drugs by the border police were up 
substantially this year, he said.

Britain has the main responsibility within the American-led coalition 
for assisting the Afghan government with counternarcotics activities. 
Some American officials have privately been critical of its efforts, 
saying it has not done enough to reduce this year's opium poppy crop, 
forecast to be one of the largest ever.

[On Monday, Britain said it was sending 900 more soldiers to Helmand, 
the hub of the opium trade, to combat resistance from the Taliban, 
The Associated Press reported.]

The State Department financed a $700 million eradication effort last 
year, but it was plagued by delays and eliminated only a small amount 
of poppy acreage.

Mr. Rumsfeld acknowledged that the number of Taliban attacks may be 
up this year. But he said the increasingly brazen tactics had made it 
easier for American, Afghan and NATO forces to find them.

"Every time they come together," he said, "they get hit and they get 
hurt. So the fact that we see a somewhat different method of 
operation during this period is correct, but it has not necessarily 
been disadvantageous because the more that are in one place, the 
easier they are to attack."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman