All-Green
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"ISI mentoring Taliban to cultivate poppy?"
Good question that casts perspective on how the U.S. is mentoring Afghanistan to be a world-record producing opium nation now...as Afghanistan also was during the years under the Taliban.
" In July 2001 Afghanistan (under Mullah Omar) declared poppy cultivation illegal and nearly decimated the entire year's products so that action does not fit in well with this point of view that Taliban were drug barons out to strengthen the drug trade..."
And you explain both the preceding and subsequent years how WRT the taliban?
"...You have some really rotten friends in Afghanistan..."
Yes...and elsewhere too when it comes to these and other matters. Check yourselves at the door. The moment afghan opium crosses into Pakistan, you assume ownership. Where and how it proceeds has much to do with those in other governments besides the GoA.
"this is the reason even US is not directly taking the Bull by the horns here..."
No. There are more reasons to include Great Britain's lead role in the U.N. anti-drug effort. We follow exceedingly well. They try hard but are under-resourced in the most critical area of the nation. I won't apologize for our efforts as supporters of their leading role. We've played that exceedingly well in our region. So too have others. The measurable successes are clear if you wish to acknowledge them.
Karzai's point about alternative crops is valid and he isn't the only to note such. As to the speculation and family ties, please refer to nepotism and the role of your current President and past leaders. Why do you assume corruption starts in and stops at the afghan border when these drugs move very freely through your country too?
Seems an excessively odd position.
I re-iterate- there's no Afghan insurgency of consequence (or at all) in the absence of Pakistani sancturary since early 2002. That sanctuary and the long association of the taliban with opium is the root of this problem.
For all of the complaints by Gretchen Peters about America in her NPR interview, she makes abundantly clear this long association between opium and the taliban and the role played by them today. Worthy listening.
There's plenty of blame to spread around here.
Well, i am not blaming US for teaching the drug trade to Afghans, you have casually included the ISI and i do not want the ISI phobia to spread...already too much is said of the ISI without any evidence!
The only fact is that Afghans themselves have been in this trade and it has increased with the devastation and desperation they have had to face.
This is the most logical and established fact.
The accusation should not be Taliban alone...this is the hallmark of most commanders from the Mujahideen era as well so blaming Taliban for the opium trade is not accurate, this has been the main resource for most Afghan warlords!
Regarding Taliban role, agreed that the drug harvest were increasing but 2001 is something which actually happened after a bumper crop so it really cannot be explained if Taliban were a drug mafia and that is what i am saying...it does not make sense for a drug mafia to destroy a years crops!
This is something i cannot understand...why this happened?
Why would the cash starved Taliban destroy the crops?
Pakistan did not offer sanctuary to Taliban for drug trade, you know exactly why millions of Afghans found sanctuary in Pakistan...Taliban is just a name of Afghan Madrassah students who rose to power in Post Jihad era...they are very much part of the Afghan refugees living in Pakistan/Afghanistan belt and beyond...they were not aliens birthed by the ISI or Pakistan...too much credit is given where it is not due.
Ahhh, the corrupt governments and nepotism....
I do not assume that no other government is corrupt, corruption is everywhere and even present in the greatly managed USA (no sarcasm indented).
My point is very simple and totally in accordance with an anti drug policy, the production centers are the best bet to inflict substantial damage on the drug trade, the trafficking and smuggling can never be 100% controlled...
The availability of so many drugs in all western countries is more than ample proof of the inadequacy of all to deal with the drugs once they are smuggled out of the country of origin.
Pakistan is no exception and therefore i really am not ashamed about Pakistan's performance so far, we do capture and destroy a lot of drugs but of course are only as successful as the rest of the world to stop smuggling.
Coming to excessively odd positions, Sir you are also indulging in one right here....
Regarding your honest admission of being under-resourced in the most critical area... it is quite odd that you and your dozens of allied countries and ISAF are under-resourced in critical areas which are Taliban strongholds and producing enough drugs to finance a War which is wreaking havoc in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
How can you hope to defeat them with their financial lifeline completely intact?