On Tuesday, August 28, 2007 on page A6 the New York Times International edition ran the following headline:
2nd Record Level for Afghan Opium Crop
Dateline Kabul, Afghanistan the story read:
Opium cultivation in Afghanistan grew by 17 percent in 2007, reaching record levels for the second straight year, according to a United Nations
report released Monday (August 27, 2007)”.
Despite $600 million American counter narcotics effort and an increase in the number of poppy-free provinces to 13 from 6, the report found that the
amount of land in Afghanistan used for opium production is now larger than the amount of land used for coca cultivation in all of Latin America.”
Afghanistan now accounts for 93 percent of the world’s opium up from 92 percent last year, the report said.
In case you didn’t catch that, “Afghanistan accounts for 93% of the world’s opium up from 92 percent last year.”
The report did not say that Afghanistan is currently occupied by the world’s most powerful country in terms of tactical and strategic fighters and
bombers and countryside obliterating weapons of mass destruction and annihilation, the United States of America.
I just wanted to check and see if anyone had any further or continuing doubt that at least one of the reasons for attacking Afghanistan was to secure
the safety and future of the cultivation, growing, harvesting, production, transportation and sale of illegal drugs?
I was unable to find a link to this story on the New York Times website so here is a scan from my copy (August 28, 2007 page A6):