Pubdate: Mon, 3 Sep 2007
Source: Pasadena Star-News, The (CA)
Copyright: 2007 Pasadena Star News
Contact: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/writealetter
Website: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/728
Note: Reprinted from The Miami Herald
Referenced: The UN report http://www.unodc.org/pdf/research/AFG07_ExSum_web.pdf
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Afghanistan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

RESURGENT THREAT FROM NARCO-TERRORISTS

FIVE years after the United States and coalition forces rousted the 
Taliban from power, Afghanistan threatens to relapse into a failed state.

A lack of security and pervasive corruption are fueling a booming 
narcotics trade and drug-rich Taliban. Some regions already offer 
safe haven for narco-terrorists. This is the grim picture painted by 
a U.N. report released Aug. 27.

The United States and NATO can still curb the opium explosion and 
Taliban resurgence. But this will require a stronger effort than has 
been apparent in the last five years.

Lawless areas must be secured, corruption attacked and alternatives 
found to the lucrative opium trade. Ignoring the problem will only 
increase instability and terrorist threats.

After record harvests in the last two years, Afghanistan's opium crop 
has doubled to alarming levels.

The country now produces 93 percent of the world's opiates - a 
multibillion-dollar business that includes heroin.

"Leaving aside 19th-century China," the U.N. report says, "no other 
country in the world has ever produced narcotics on such a deadly scale."

Taliban and other insurgent groups not only are boosting production 
but also are funding their own growth. Corrupt government officials 
share in the spoils. This is both a terrorist and illicit-drug threat.

Even the head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime warns that 
Afghanistan's opium stockpiles may "once again be used to fund 
international terrorism."

Notably, the seven northern provinces that stopped growing opium 
poppy last year have relatively better security.

The huge gains in the south have occurred where both security and 
government control are lacking. This has happened before - in 
Colombia. Insurgents will step into a power vacuum and underwrite 
violence with narco-profits.

The remedies aren't quick or easy, and they must be sustained to 
achieve lasting results. U.S. and NATO forces should:

Coordinate counter-drug and military efforts, just as in Colombia.

Secure the lawless areas where narco-insurgents and opium production 
now flourish.

Work with the Afghan government to root out officials involved in 
drug trafficking.

Target key traffickers for asset seizures and criminal prosecution.

Offer farmers incentives and viable alternatives to opium poppy.

Increase manual eradication of poppy crops. Aerial eradication, 
favored by the U.S. government, is more likely to turn farmers 
against the effort.

Long-term, the best solution is a stable Afghan government that can 
secure all its territory and enforce the rule of law.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake