http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2010/12/wikileaks_texas_company_helped.php

Jesus. 😡 🙁

Interesting that this practice was banned by the Taliban government (who also managed to mostly eradicate heroin production). Well done us.

Grumm, without wishing to sound like the typical STW knee jerk responder…the Taliban did not have a ‘Government’ in place to ban this practice, what they had were lots of provincial Governers who notionally banned it but it was still widely practiced; in respect of ending Heroin production I’m afraid you’re misinformed, a quick look at the UK Military death dates will show you that the Taliban are far less active during the poppy harvesting season as they are all busy bringing in the crop, once it’s in the attack/death rates go back up.

If, like me, you’re less than trusting of the UK media impartiality in respect of Afghanistan there are a number of NGO websites (MuslimAid, Islamicaid, MSF, WFP) which can confirm this pattern.

Why would UN and US reports confirm that the Taliban had managed to reduce heroin production by 95%? Hardly in their interests to manufacture such a statistic.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/2814861.stm

What was in place then and what is now called the Taliban might have a lot of the same people involved but it’s fairly different beast surely. Not that I am a fan of what was the Taliban government, it’s just the hypocrisy of claiming we were going in there to help liberate the people from the evils of the Taliban (or is that brave mujahaddin freedom fighters).

I think you’ll find that when the Taliban were in power they limited opium production to the point where they just raised enough revenue to tide themselves over as it were, now that they have a war to fight (and they are expensive) they do indeed take a break from battling NATO troops during the harvest so that they can reap more profits from the crops to buy more weapons.

Bazz . The Taliban stopped opium production by threats and force. They are no longer in a position to do this nor is anyone else. For the peasant farmer opium means a lot of money so in the absence of any authority opium production goes up. You really overestimate the organisation of the taliban. It is no homogeneous body. Its a convenient label for those who fight against teh occupying troops

Its a clear fact that opium production has gone up dramatically since the invasion.

Those that have served in Afg will know that unless you provide an alternative crop to grow that provides the same income to the farmers, Provincial Governers and Pakistani chemists you will not stop the growth of the narcotics industry, when there in about 2002/3 the drive by the coallition was poppy erradication, basically canned because it was like peeing in the wind from the top of Snowden.

On the OP, little boys providing pleasure to the older members of the community, fellow police officers, Army etc is the norm, very sickening watching the younger members of the Army or police know that they would be handed around the group usually on a Thursday night. Not a lot you can do it is the culture, still no reason to for a Private contractor to pay for the deed, very sad place indeed.

Grumm, I don’t know why the UN would report a drop in production, however in my 18yr Military career I saw the UN do/not do/report/ignore things with such a political bias that it put Machiavelli to shame.

TJ opium production has historically been on the up since long before the invasion, the OP has referenced the UN report on Taliban induced reduction and, if you choose to believe the UNs own figures, that is the only year in the last 30 that production has fallen. Opium is one of the few crops which grows well in the arid land of Afghanistan and it matters not who is in charge it will continue to be the prevelant crop as long as there is a market for it and that is not the result of an occupying force but the result of economics.

Afghan’s in Man Love Thursdays shock…

Hmmmmmmm – I wonder if “Man Love Thursdays”will make it onto next years Singletrack calender.

I reckon they’ll put in alongside my suggestion of Hora-wedgie Tuesday

The Taliban stopped opium production by threats and force.

wrong, they did not stop opium production in afghanistan.

Its a clear fact that opium production has gone up dramatically since the invasion.

Perhaps but the allied forces are not ordered to stop the aghan people growing opium which would stop the locals income and alienate them. Ironically the talib are now funding their operations through opium.
The little boys thing is nothing new. It’s disgusting that a PMC is profiting from it, but it would still happen. It’s a cultural thing, and has been rife in afghanistan for a long time regardless of the govt of the day.

Backhandeer – OK almost stopped. UN reports state this – before the invasion and occupation

Of course both of us are guilty of being oversimplistic

The July 2000 edict of Mullah Omar, the ousted supreme head of the Taliban and “Commander of the Faithful”, proscribed opium poppy cultivation and forced the 2001 harvest to 185 tonnes, an all-time low. That figure was all the more impressive since the country had broken a world record in 1999 when it produced 4,600 tonnes, followed by a huge 3,300 tonnes in 2000.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EI17Ag01.html

It’s a cultural thing, and has been rife in afghanistan for a long time regardless of the govt of the day.

Indeed, and I hate to say it, but do we honestly feel that imposing our own moral code on another country, regardless of their culture, is really what we should be doing? indeed, imposing foreign religious and cultural values on people by force is exactly what we’re supposed to be fighting against… 🙁

Well, there was plenty being grown found during operation Jacana (which into de void may well have been on) in 2002. I woudn’t trust UN reports as far as I could throw them. The UN always have an agenda.
TJ; the taliban had been in power since 1996, why did they only stop production in 2001?

Yep – the good old US army really are doing all they can to eradicate heroin 😀

I for one can’t possibly think why production would increase, especially when the CIA are there.

It’s a cultural thing, and has been rife in afghanistan for a long time regardless of the govt of the day.

And most other Middle Eastern communities.. manlove (and I’m guessing man/boy love) is not quite the taboo over there as it is here..

the taliban had been in power since 1996, why did they only stop production in 2001

I think it is widely believed that the dizzying levels of production in the years prior to 2001 had depressed prices rather and that the political benefits of eradication were augmented by the financial benefits of reducing supply a bit.

In dubious theology terms, they had acquired fatwas to the effect that its production was fine, as it was mainly used by non-muslims.

And most other Middle Eastern communities.. manlove (and I’m guessing man/boy love) is not quite the taboo over there as it is here..

Is this taboo in the same way that shoving small children up chimneys to clean them is now taboo in our country?