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Published Saturday, September 02, 2006 by Alessandro Ashanti.
This is the opening paragrpahs of a New York Times article I just had to share. Take important note to remember which US angency rushed into Afghanistan with their "independent contractors" and took over the poppy fields. *Hint* Their name rhymes with "yes I may".Opium Harvest at Record Level in Afghanistan
By CARLOTTA GALL
Published: September 3, 2006
KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 2 — Afghanistan’s opium harvest this year has reached the highest levels ever recorded, showing an increase of almost 50 percent from last year, the executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, said Saturday in Kabul.
He described the figures as “alarming” and “very bad news” for the Afghan government and international donors who have poured millions of dollars into programs to reduce the poppy crop since 2001.
He said the increase in cultivation was significantly fueled by the resurgence of Taliban rebels in the south, the country’s prime opium growing region. As the insurgents have stepped up attacks, they have also encouraged and profited from the drug trade, promising protection to growers if they expanded their opium operations.
You'll find the rest of the article here: NYT