The United States on Thursday pushed NATO allies to order their troops to target Afghanistan's thriving heroin trade in a bid to stem the flow of drug money to the widening insurgency against the troubled international military mission. A two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers comes amid an increase in violence that has created doubts about whether Western forces can win the war against the resurgent Taliban militants. "If we have the opportunity to go after drug lords and drug laboratories and try and interrupt this flow of cash to the Taliban, that seems to me like a legitimate security endeavor," said U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the meeting. [continues 542 words]
Colombia is a tragic, lawless nation on the brink of collapse after 37 years of warfare between leftist guerrillas, right-wing militias, armed drug cartels and the national army. An estimated 3,500 civilians are killed each year. Political corruption, kidnappings, assassinations and the like are rampant. Various groups hold about 3,000 hostages, including presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who was seized by Marxists in February. Flamboyant Charleston artist Paul St. James has lived in several countries and often travels to war zones. He visited Sarajevo during the Bosnian conflict and went to central Mexico during the Zapatista rebellion. He recently visited Colombia, where he lived 30 years ago, and faxed this report to the Gazette. [continues 734 words]
