OpiumWarAfghanistan

From 911Encyclopedia:

According to the United Nations Drug Control Programme, the Taliban produced an enormous 4600 metric tonnes of opium in 1999, and 3276 tonnes in 2000. Being as they understand supply and demand in the only true free market on the planet, narcotics, they withheld supply in order not to deflate the price. Then in May 2001, Colin Powell, gave the regime $43 million in an open bribe to thank them for what has now been revealed as one of the most successful wars on drugs ever seen. The Taliban did indeed reduce their cultivation of opium, by an enormous 91%. Production of opium in Afghanistan fell from 3276 tonnes in 2000 to 185 tonnes in 2001 (UNDCP). This happened because the `evil' Mullah Omar ordered a ban (as reported by U.S. State Department), in order to gain some international acceptance. The 185 tonnes produced were, in fact, mainly produced by the so-called Northern Alliance (->), another loose collection of right wing thugs and maniacs. Source: Adam

Porter, Guerrilla News Network On March 28th, 2002 the Bush administration decided not to destroy the opium crop in Afghanistan. President Bush, who formerly linked the Afghan drug trade directly to terrorism, okayed the opium poppy fields who started blooming and ready for harvest. U.S. forces could destroy the crops using aerial spraying techniques, but no such actions had been planned. "The war in Afghanistan will be decided within the next six weeks based on whether or not the poppy crops go to market," stated a U.S. intelligence official who returned in March 2002 from Afghanistan. Source: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/3/28/95240.shtml

Compare: "Poppy Fields, Killing Fields and Druglords" from: "Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America and International Terrorism" by John K. Cooley (November 2000) http://www.tni.org/drugs/research/unholy.htm