U.S., Afghan forces strike opium factories to curb Taliban funds

[Swordsmyth]

U.S. and Afghan forces have launched joint attacks on Taliban opium factories to try to curb the insurgent group's economic lifeline, officials from both countries said on Monday.

U.S. Army General John Nicholson showed videos at a press conference of targeted aerial strikes against what he described as Taliban drug factories.
"Last night we conducted strikes in northern Helmand to hit the Taliban where it hurts, in their narcotics financing," said Nicholson, flanked by Afghan Army Lieutenant General Mohammad Sharif Yaftali.

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-afghan-forces-strike-opium-factories-curb-taliban-144812858.html

No competition allowed.

[oyarde]

There is no act of any kind that will ever change anything in Helmand . That is all .

[Dr.3D]

Now all they need is somebody to check each and every military aircraft arriving in the U.S. to see if it is carrying drugs.

[CaptUSA]

Sounds like a typical turf war. Gotta wonder whose crops just got a price bump.

[Zippyjuan]

There are two jobs you can make money on in Afghanistan- being a soldier or growing poppies. Shut down one, the other one grows.

[Dr.3D]

There are two jobs you can make money on in Afghanistan- being a soldier or growing poppies. Shut down one, the other one grows.
We shouldn't care what they grow over there, as long as they don't export either one to our country.

[pao]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but before the Afghanistan War started I thought that the Taliban was against the growing of opium, but then after U.S. took over, production skyrocketed.... It seems the Taliban has now adopted opium growth for funding as they regain territory (just like the CIA). How did the Taliban support themselves before the U.S. intervention if opium was truly reducing in the areas of their control? Just curious.

[Raginfridus]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but before the Afghanistan War started I thought that the Taliban were aga more okhttps://image.ibb.co/hrT5hm/mixedemotions.png

https://image.ibb.co/kyaCTR/2acyku.gif

just a turf war

[pao]

Thanks for the info...

So it's a turf war now, but in the past seems like Taliban were genuinely against production.

I corrected my original post, probably makes more sense now.

[Raginfridus]

How did the Taliban support themselves before the U.S. intervention if opium was truly reducing in the areas of their control? Just curious.You paid and kept your property, or the Taliban kill your family, take all your stuff, and make somebody else pay. That's my guess.

Taliban were native reactionaries who'd joined the mujaheddin against the Soviets. They resented the barbarism of Osama bin CIA's hired thugs. They wanted a modern, ethno-religious state of their own, not a bunch of foreign savages, so they savaged the savages. Once the mujaheddin war lords were peripheral, they savaged their people. Talib-an means something like student (or learned) army. Imagine US students having complete control of America for about 5 years.