A Third of US-Backed Afghan Forces Involved in Drug Trade
ASIA--PACIFIC, 4 May 2015
TeleSur – TRANSCEND Media Service
Several reports show the production of opium has sky-rocketed since the 2001 U.S. invasion.
An Afghan policeman destroys poppies during a campaign against narcotics in Kunar province | Photo: Reuters
28 Apr 15 – According to Russia’s Federal Drug Control Service, a third of Afghan troops have deserted to join the country’s drug trade industry.
“A concentration of foreign forces and fighting in a drug-producing state has ensured a climate of rampant desertion from the local armed forces and police,” Viktor Ivanov, director of the federal body, explained.
Afghanistan is known to be a primary source for opiate production, including heroin. The country is also a large producer of marijuana.
Speaking at the Second Anti-narcotics Ministerial Conference in Moscow, Ivanov explained that most of the drugs produced in the Middle Eastern country end up in Russia and Eastern Europe, due to its closeness to the region.
Opium production in the country has steadily increased over the years, despite the presence of a United States counter-narcotics mission. Last year opium production reached record-high levels.
The anti-narcotics mission is headed by the private company Blackwater — now renamed Alumni — which received a contract from the U.S. government worth US$309 million for training the Afghan National Interdiction Unit, the Ministry of Interior and the Border Police.
According to Ivanov, the situation is particularly troubling since the Islamic State group is now financing itself from drug money, with an estimated annual income of US$1 billion from drug trafficking.
Reports of the IS group operating in Afghanistan have raised concern, and even prompted an outspoken rejection by the Taliban.
The United Nations will hold a General Assembly on drugs next year, to address the global problem.
Go to Original – telesurtv.net
DISCLAIMER: The statements, views and opinions expressed in pieces republished here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TMS. In accordance with title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. TMS has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is TMS endorsed or sponsored by the originator. “GO TO ORIGINAL” links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the “GO TO ORIGINAL” links. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.