NEWS: US Blaming Britain for Booming Afghan Opium Trade, page 1

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 09:57 AM

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America is blaming Britain for the recent spike in the Afghan opium trade. Britain, who has sole control over the counter-narcotics assistance programme, has seen a boom in the trade shortly after the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001.

www.timesonline.co.uk

AMERICAN officials are holding Britain “substantially responsible” for the failure of a poppy eradication programme aimed at curtailing Afghanistan’s soaring heroin trade.

Britain has overall charge of the counter-narcotics assistance programme, but the US has mounted a creeping takeover after last year’s bumper poppy crop. The eradication programme is largely financed by US taxpayers, while Dynacorps, an American civilian security company, trains the Afghan force tasked with destroying the crops.

In a leaked cable to Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State, officials at the US Embassy in Kabul complained that British administration was to blame for a failure to reach the levels of eradication that they had hoped for. They said that the British were often targeting less important growing areas. Since beginning work last month, the eradication force has destroyed fewer than 102ha (250 acres). The original target was 15,000ha (37,000 acres). The cable, shown to The New York Times, also criticised President Karzai for failing to take a strong line against opium farmers, partly for fear of a backlash in elections this year.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Apparently Britain was put in charge of the counter-narcotics program because most Afghan heroin and opium eventually ends up in Europe. The U.S. suggests eradicating these opium fields by means of crop dusting. Britain wants to find an alternative means of elimination in order to preserve the environment.

[edit on 5/23/2005 by Simulacra]

kenshiro2012

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 10:05 AM

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My question on this would be that possibily, the UK troops were occupied byn more pressing buisness. What would that be?
Also, why the leak? The article does not address this as this maybe a scam to create a rift between the US and the UK.

Simulacra

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 11:07 AM

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kensh
It's just a clear lack of authoritative power on behalf of Britain in order to fight the 'War on Terrorism' by not surpressing the Afghan drug trade. They weren't preoccupied, they just got...lazy.

Zanzibar

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 11:56 AM

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Come on, give them a break, we dont have as many men over there so why dont the US stop claptrapping and do it themselves if they think there so good, stop getting other countries to do their dirty work.

arnold_vosloo

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 12:09 PM

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bring back the taliban! looks like they had the best success

Ishes

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 12:17 PM

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While it is partially Britons fault, the Americans are just playing the blame game again. “It’s not us. It wasn’t us in Abu Grahib, it was a few rouge soldiers”. Why do people have to blame others? It just creates more and more problems. When will the politicians learn?

zero lift

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 12:32 PM

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IMO, the 'blame game' story is just part of new lobbying by the US Government to win support for their use of quick fix techniques to suppress drug production in the area.

The UK Government is working to a long term programme of opium eradication in Afghanistan whereas the US would prefer to use military force. Indeed, in some areas US troops have been implicated in the large scale covert use of pesticides on poppy fields, which in turn has exposed the indigenous population to possible health problems. This in turn promotes anti-US protests.

As per normal, the US are impatient for short term results, no matter the long term consequences of their actions.

zero lift

Phugedaboudet

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 12:45 PM

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Ah, just like the UK did for opium production control iin China in the mid 1800's?

historyliterature.homestead.com...

Originally posted by zero lift
IMO, the 'blame game' story is just part of new lobbying by the US Government to win support for their use of quick fix techniques to suppress drug production in the area.

The UK Government is working to a long term programme of opium eradication in Afghanistan whereas the US would prefer to use military force. Indeed, in some areas US troops have been implicated in the large scale covert use of pesticides on poppy fields, which in turn has exposed the indigenous population to possible health problems. This in turn promotes anti-US protests.

As per normal, the US are impatient for short term results, no matter the long term consequences of their actions.

zero lift

[edit on 23-5-2005 by Phugedaboudet]

jukyu

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 12:52 PM

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Actually the Taliban were pushing the drug trade on to good success if you look at the chart. It dropped down to almost nothing after they were overthrown by the United States and then pulled a 360 due slack policies of erradication by whoever was in charge of it. One way or the other the problem remains, its still there and the rewards still highly outway the risks for those growing it.

Icarus Rising

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 01:10 PM

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Again, this story points to the fact that these governments don't want to eradicate the opium trade - they want to control it. What else does Afghanistan have with any market value, rugs? Opium is their #1 export by far.

What does Iraq have besides the oil we aren't getting, and the terrorist bombs that are going off? It is the major historic trade route for opium from Afghanistan to the Persian Gulf.

Heroin/Opium is the REAL Problem

Something tells me this could be the NWO - Illuminati battleground, and it will get worse before it gets better. Whomever controls the oil and the opium has the rest of the world in a virtual stranglehold, and what better place to fight it out than the cradle of modern civilization?

koji_K

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 01:16 PM

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As Icarus touched upon, narcotics production has long been the West's method of propping up "friendly" paramilitary groups.

Also, what proof is there that the US would do a better job? We've poured billions into operations in various South American countries and coc aine is still on our streets. If the Brits are trying something different, it can't be a bad thing, given our track record.

-koji K.

Britguy

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 03:26 PM

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Originally posted by jukyu
Actually the Taliban were pushing the drug trade on to good success if you look at the chart. It dropped down to almost nothing after they were overthrown by the United States and then pulled a 360 due slack policies of erradication by whoever was in charge of it. One way or the other the problem remains, its still there and the rewards still highly outway the risks for those growing it.

Another interpretation of the chart would suggest that, under the Taliban, Opium production fell to it's lowest point BEFORE the invasion and has since risen to high levels.

Aelita

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 04:08 PM

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Originally posted by Britguy

Originally posted by jukyu
Actually the Taliban were pushing the drug trade on to good success if you look at the chart. It dropped down to almost nothing after they were overthrown by the United States and then pulled a 360 due slack policies of erradication by whoever was in charge of it. One way or the other the problem remains, its still there and the rewards still highly outway the risks for those growing it.

Another interpretation of the chart would suggest that, under the Taliban, Opium production fell to it's lowest point BEFORE the invasion and has since risen to high levels.

Not to mention that the Northern Alliance fought on the side of the US and UK for exactly the reason that they were traffickers, and Taliban was shutting down their production lines. It is beyond me how one can turn a blind eye to this fact. If anybody starts dusting their poppy fields, very soon we might witness a regime change

Thomas Crowne

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 04:24 PM

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Sigh.

Bad blaming, if you ask me. Wouldn't it be better to blame the demand, rather than the supply? Any other blame is in the wrong place.

This blame crap is merely smoke and mirrors as those in control of both governments (Illuminatic references) profit from the opiate trade. The only important thing to them is that it is their companies that are involved in the trading.

twitchy

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 05:52 PM

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Whats really funny is that most of the heroin from Afghanistan ends up in New York City ports. I have some information in my research here somewhere that traces the "strains" and pretty much prooves that we are the ones consuming most of it. Not Britain.

Aelita

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 05:55 PM

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Originally posted by twitchy
pretty much prooves that we are the ones consuming most of it.

Twitchy, I'm not consuming any of it.

Speak for yourself

devilwasp

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 06:23 PM

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Ah well,

Old tommy will be blamed, again....might as well everyone else is..
Mind you, I suppose there will be "experts" who say that the US "might" have done a better job or "In my profesional opinion they would have.." ah well....nice to know americas "greatest" ally is loved huh.....

skychief

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 09:08 PM

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This is a major problem and I for one would not want to be in charge of controlling one of that countries top exports. Heroin has made a major comeback so this must be dealt with firmly. It is frustrating though, beacuse I remeber this potential problem being discussed before the Taliban was overthrown. We knew it was a strong possibility that this issue could arise and sure enough it did. This is very frustrating because it's such a difficult problem to control. I think it might be time to dust the fields and deal with the issue.

Seekerof

posted on May, 23 2005 @ 09:22 PM

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as posted by Simulacra
Britain wants to find an alternative means of elimination in order to preserve the environment.

The UK and Opium have a long history.
Just ask China.
The Opium Wars

Britain and the Opium Wars

seekerof

Dazzler22

posted on May, 24 2005 @ 10:52 AM

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Read People! It Was the Gov's Of the UK and US that covertly reinstated the growing of poppies to support the worlds failing economy due to massive war profiteering!

Daz Out!