General readers and academic specialists will find much of value in the book, especially in terms of drug issues and the history and culture of afghanistan. Feb 17, 2016 while the taliban have long profited from the taxation and protection of the drug trade in afghanistan, insurgents are taking more direct roles and claiming spots higher up in the opium chain. In spite of ongoing international efforts to combat afghanistans narcotics trade, u. However, in 2004, action against the drug trade in afghanistan became very complicated, as drugs now permeated all parts of afghan politics, society and economy. On the cultural history of opium and how poppy came to. Helmand, home to an estimated 80% of afghanistans opium poppies, is a big drug factory, a western official told afp earlier this year. Afghanistan s opium poppy harvest produces more than 90% of illicit heroin globally, and more than 95% of the european supply. The taliban were heavily involved in growing opium and manufacturing heroin. This book examines criminal drug traffickers and international terrorist networks in afghanistan from 1979 to 2006, to ascertain whether sufficient evidence exists to substantiate claims of an operational nexus between international criminal drug traffickers and international terrorist networks in afghanistan. Nov 09, 2018 the drug catastrophe in afghanistan november 9, 2018 a opinion 3 comments on november 5 yet another us soldier was killed by a member of afghanistans military forces, as the country continues to be wracked by violence in its seventeenth year of war.
Drug trade could splinter afghanistan into fragmented. Afghanistan joins unodc global initiative against human trafficking and migrant smuggling the global action to prevent and address trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants asia and the middle east glo. Refining biodiesel from poppies sanctions an illicit activity. Taliban is profiting from the drug trade, as are various criminal gangs. First published in 2005, updated in january 2015 and april 2017. With few antidrug programs and many of those poorly funded aid agencies say drug abuse is now the fastestgrowing social problem in the country.
Nov 21, 2017 conversely, many key powerbrokers in afghanistans south and east whom the united states has embraced, including provincial and police district chiefs, have been implicated in the afghan drug trade. News about drug trafficking in afghanistan, including commentary and archival articles published in the new york times. Examines the drug trade in afghanistan, discussing how farmers there continue to grow poppy illegally, and how the taliban and al qaeda control heroin labs. Agency have arguably produced effects drug trafficking and addiction never. He tells a story about the diversity of drug use in afghanistan that no one has. D uring the 1980s, the cias secret war against the soviet occupation of afghanistan helped transform the afghanipakistani borderlands into a launchpad for the global heroin trade. Jan 09, 2018 d uring the 1980s, the cias secret war against the soviet occupation of afghanistan helped transform the afghanipakistani borderlands into a launchpad for the global heroin trade. Afghanistans abundant poppy crop can be refined into biodiesel to serve as the countrys principal agricultural product. Cultivating, processing or possessing opium is a violation of afghan law. It weaves historical, social, psychological, cultural, biological, and medical perspectives emphasizing the idea that a drugs effects depend not only on its properties, but also on the biological and psychological characteristics of its user.
None of the adversaries cared if the drug trade continued. Afghanistan, southeast asia, central america, colombia. The book provides an ethnography of drug production in the tribal areas of northwest. The number of afghan drug addicts now stands at nearly three million. The us opioid crisis broadly defined bears a relationship to the export of heroin out of afghanistan. Drug trafficking in afghanistan the new york times. Drug addiction in afghanistan is a growing problem among women and children. Oct 26, 2019 first published in may 2014 of relevance to the current debate on heroin addiction and opioids in the usa. The country now has one of the worlds sharpest rising rates of drug use, especially in the cities. Helmand is all about drugs, poppy and taliban, he said. Penetrating every stage of afghan opium chain, taliban become. In afghanistan, in contrast, drug related fighting is part of a wider pattern of conflicts that have as shown above boosted the illicit drug economy.
Conversely, many key powerbrokers in afghanistans south and east whom the united states has embraced, including provincial and police district. David macdonald tells a story about the diversity of drug use in afghanistan that no. Jan 06, 2006 is afghanistan s drug trade paying al qaeda. Their illicit trade also adversely impacts governance, security, stability and development in afghanistan, in its neighbours, in the broader region and beyond. First published in may 2014 of relevance to the current debate on heroin addiction and opioids in the usa. Jan 12, 2015 a drug warriors inside look at the war on afghanistans heroin trade a dea veteran recounts fighting the taliban and the cia while trying to bring down afghan drug kingpins. In a report last year, the pentagon said taliban and other insurgent groups are expanding their use of illicit drug trade to fund their operations because the u. Author examines drug trade, afghan insurgency pbs newshour. Their illicit trade also adversely impacts governance, security, stability and developmentin afghanistan, in its neighbours, in the broader region and beyond. Act was officially launched in the islamic republic of afghanistan on 4 september 2019. A new book by paula bronstein features a collection of her photographs taken in afghanistan, showing both the beautiful and the horrific in a visual compendium of what has happened on the ground.
Drug addiction in afghanistan is a growing problem. A threat assessment, the second such report of the united nations office on drugs and crime research project on the topic, covers. A drug warriors inside look at the war on afghanistans. The cia continues trafficking drugs from afghanistan. Few other nonfiction books have provided such an earthy, finegrained account of the human drama of drug use and abuse.
Since 2001, afghanistan has become synonymous with the term narcostate and the associated spread of crime and illegality. The illicit drug trade, counternarcotics strategies and terrorism. A rise in drug use in iran is one overlooked consequence of the surge in opium production in the talibanrun provinces of southern afghanistan. A survey on drug use in afghanistan, issued 21 june 2010 by the united nations office on drugs and crime unodc, showed that around one million afghans age 1564 suffer from drug addiction. The governments of afghanistan, pakistan, and iran are corrupted, drugs are passing borders in large quantity, the taliban are using the drugs as a main effort to finance their operations.
The illegal drug trade is sabotaging peace for afghanistan and myanmar in the short term by allowing insurgencies to continue and in the long term by encouraging warlords to continue the fight. How the heroin trade explains the usuk failure in afghanistan. Ground zero is afghanistan, where the rejuvenated taliban depend on opium for 70% of its funds and there is overwhelming circumstantial evidence of osama bin ladens involvement in the drug trade. Which of the following propositions most accurately explains why the afghanistan drug trade continued during the nato intervention against the taliban. This book explores the devastating impact that the drugs trade has had on the. These antidrug efforts may fatally undermine the far more important anti. Afghanistans role in irans drug problem council on. Money from the trade funds offthe books operations like irancontra, and the vast sums of money generated are laundered through some of the worlds largest banks, helping keep the global financial system afloat. Helmand, home to an estimated 80% of afghanistan s opium poppies, is a big drug factory, a western official told afp earlier this year.
Taliban control of heroin drug production trafficking in. Which of the following propositions most accuratel. Oct 29, 2019 drug addiction in afghanistan is a growing problem among women and children. Afghanistans notorious, soaring drug trade is hitting home. Afghanistan and pakistan increased production and became major suppliers of opiates to western europe and north america in the mid1970s, when political instability combined with a prolonged drought disrupted supplies from the golden triangle. With these assets, terrorists can plan and execute more attacks. Afghanistans opium production is through the roofwhy. There were 189,000 heroin users in the us in 2001, before the usnato invasion of afghanistan. The nexus between drug profits and terrorism funding means that opium trafficking is more than just an afghan problem its an international security threat. Facing the increase in opium cultivation and its consequences on the situation in afghanistan and at home, the international community was forced to take action. Afghanistans booming narcotics trade risks splintering the country into a fragmented, criminal state if the government and its western allies do not step up efforts to tackle opium production.
Peters argues that the failure to halt this money flow to terrorist networks is the single greatest failure in the war on terror, and warns that. Cia complicity in the global drug trade, afghanistan. Solitary abuse of one single drug, either hashish or opium, is the common feature of drug abuse in afghanistan. Most recently, john abbotsford an excia analyst and war veteran who fought in afghanistan confessed that cia had a role in drug smuggling operations. Afghanistan has been the worlds leading illicit opium producer since 2001. Not only is afghanistan the global leader in opium production, but afghans are now the leading consumers of their own drugs. The drug catastrophe in afghanistan november 9, 2018 a opinion 3 comments on november 5 yet another us soldier was killed by a member of afghanistans military forces, as the country continues to be wracked by violence in its seventeenth year of war. The two major drugs abused in afghanistan are hashish and opium. Afghanistan, five years after 911 2006, by united states house committee on international relations pdf at gpo. Apr 16, 2019 first published in 2005, updated in january 2015 and april 2017. All afghanistans warring factions are involved in the drug trade to some degree, but 96% of the opium crop is produced in areas controlled by the taliban, a movement of militant islamic students. Conversely, many key powerbrokers in afghanistan s south and east whom the united states has embraced, including provincial and police district chiefs, have been implicated in the afghan drug trade. Opiates originating in afghanistan threaten the health and wellbeing of people in many regions of the world. Afghan drug trade afghanistans opium problem pictures.
Afghanistan drug addicts volunteer in country with growing. Sep 14, 2017 the illegal drug trade is sabotaging peace for afghanistan and myanmar in the short term by allowing insurgencies to continue and in the long term by encouraging warlords to continue the fight. Jun 22, 2009 author and former abc news producer gretchen peters talks about her book about the drug trade in afghanistan and pakistan and how it is fueling the insurgency. Half way through the book, the factoids and the story line gets repetitive. How the drug war in afghanistan undermines americas war on. The politics and economics of drug production on the pakistan. Feb 08, 2015 in a report last year, the pentagon said taliban and other insurgent groups are expanding their use of illicit drug trade to fund their operations because the u. Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of drug use in the world, with an estimated 3 million addicts, around 10 percent of its population of 30 million.
Author and former abc news producer gretchen peters talks about her book about the drug trade in afghanistan and pakistan and how it is fueling the insurgency. The drug trade is also run exclusively by afghans, at least up to the national borders. Goats and soda a growing number of women and children are becoming entangled in drugs as the countrys number of. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through the use of drug prohibition laws. Afghanistan first began producing opium in significant quantities in the mid1950s, to supply its neighbor iran after poppy cultivation was banned there. Mar, 2008 afghanistans notorious, soaring drug trade is hitting home. Nov 10, 2004 but the united states and its coalition partners are now also emphasizing the eradication of afghanistans drug trade.
To alter the types of cookies we use click cookie settings. The narcotics trade has been a financial boon for the insurgency in afghanistan, a country that is responsible for more than 80 percent of the worlds opium supply. But the united states and its coalition partners are now also emphasizing the eradication of afghanistans drug trade. Cannabis in afghanistan has been cultivated for centuries, and experienced relatively little interference until the 1970s, whereafter it became an issue both in international politics and in the finance of the series of wars which occurred in afghanistan for forty years. Drug money allows groups to purchase weapons and equipment, recruit more cadres, bribe of. Mar 12, 2014 the narcotics trade has been a financial boon for the insurgency in afghanistan, a country that is responsible for more than 80 percent of the worlds opium supply. A dea agent, edwrad follis, stated that the cia turned a blind eye to the drug trade in afghanistan. In 2007, 93% of the nonpharmaceuticalgrade opiates on the world market originated in afghanistan. While the taliban have long profited from the taxation and protection of the drug trade in afghanistan, insurgents are taking more direct roles and claiming spots higher up in the opium chain.
1427 258 1292 583 662 468 1081 1206 764 217 144 1091 895 1137 1192 1029 1186 416 69 1181 414 311 1126 610 1108 1473 241 843 1047 690 737 585 293 392 1424 687 248 1167 1226 89 818 1144 178 53 589 555 434 797 1429