The craft poke out only a foot above water and can carry 12 tons of drugs. WASHINGTON - Drug cartels have turned to a new and effective vehicle to smuggle their goods, using small, homemade "semi-submersibles" that are hard to detect and yet effective at carrying millions of dollars worth of cocaine and other illicit drugs that end up in the United States. Military officials who oversee Latin and South America have grown alarmed by the increased use of these boats, which poke out above the water only a foot or so but carry more than 12 tons of cargo. The military's ability to interdict the craft is hampered in part because its attention has been focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and on border security. [continues 718 words]
Destroying The Nation's Mainstay Crop Could Complicate US Troops' Efforts To Win Hearts And Minds. Washington - A bumper crop of poppies in Afghanistan is prompting Congress to push a reluctant US military into a bigger role to rid the country of the illegal trade. The reason? Officials have long suspected that the centuries-old opium industry is funding the Taliban and other insurgents in Afghanistan. But direct intervention is tricky for US troops. If a key part of their counterinsurgency campaign is to win the hearts and minds of Afghans, the thinking goes, Americans can't be seen as the face of an effort to burn fields and eradicate a livelihood that is illegal but central to the country's fragile financial system. [continues 752 words]
