Susan and I take our seats in the convention room at the Radisson Hotel in Lenexa. "Ruby and diamond earring," the auctioneer says. "No offers, ladies and gentlemen?" "One hundred." "One hundred, can we get $200? I've never seen such a low price for such a ring. Three hundred? "Three hundred." "We only have $300. Can we get $450? Yes sir, now $350. We have $350. Can we get $375? Only $25 more. Look at the quality. Going once, twice. Sold to the gentleman for $350. What a price, oh my God." [continues 1150 words]
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Drug dealers may have been behind an assassination attempt on the vice presidential running mate of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the government said Thursday. Wednesday's attack on Ahmed Zia Massood in Badakhshan province, a fertile poppy-growing region in the north, killed one person and injured five others, including the former provincial governor. It came just days before Saturday's landmark election, when Afghans will choose a president for the first time. Sardar Roshan, Karzai's campaign manager, suggested drug smugglers might be worried that the election could give the government a mandate to crack down on the burgeoning drug trade. [continues 545 words]
"I think we have to broaden the definition of terrorist to include warlords ... because they are trying to undermine the political process and they are well armed." Adam Bouloukos U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime JALALABAD, Afghanistan - Some of the warlords the United States has recruited to help fight al-Qaida and the Taliban are directing Afghanistan's flourishing opium trade and threatening the fragile U.S.-backed central government. The U.S. strategy in Afghanistan has allowed some local commanders to use profits from drug trafficking to fund their armies and amass power under the umbrella of the Bush administration's war against terrorism. [continues 514 words]
JALALABAD, Afghanistan - Some of the Afghan warlords the United States has recruited to help fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban are directing Afghanistan's flourishing opium trade and threatening the country's fragile, U.S.-backed central government. The U.S. strategy in Afghanistan has allowed some local commanders to use profits from drug trafficking to fund their armies and amass power under the umbrella of the Bush administration's war against terrorism. U.S.-backed interim President Hamid Karzai offers pronouncements against drugs coupled with vows to eradicate poppies that he doesn't have the strength to enforce. [continues 408 words]
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. [continues 295 words]
JALALABAD, Afghanistan - The governor of Nangahar Province in eastern Afghanistan warns 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, to legitimate but less profitable commercial crops, and warned that Afghans are losing patience as fighting continues but promises of aid go unfulfilled. [continues 809 words]
A woman was injured and three dogs were killed by police after officers served a narcotics search warrant at an East Side house Tuesday. The incident occurred about noon in the 2400 block of Drury Avenue. When officers arrived at the house, they found a Rottweiler chained to the front porch. When it began acting aggressively toward them, they shot it, said police spokesman Russ Dykstra. As the officers approached the door, the dog began to get up, and the officers shot it again. A bullet passed through the dog and either ricocheted or fragmented, striking a woman who had arrived at the front door, Dykstra said. [continues 166 words]
