Bookraft

Canadians are debating the extent and purpose of their troop commitments in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has visited both Afghanistan and Pakistan in effort to shore up support in Canada which is in the low 50% level. And well he might need to do a lot of "shoring up" because Afghanistan has emerged as a major Narco-State worse than the Cocaine trade in Colombia - and all that since the 11/11/2001 invasion of Afghanistan by US Military and the continuing operation of international forces in the country.

The problem with the mission in Afghanistan is that the toughest task, eradicating the poppy growing, refining and distribution has been deferred for over 4 years despite the fact that US and Afghan forces have known the location of almost all of the key warehouses, factories, distrbution points, and richest production fields. Yet no move has been made either by the Amerians, the international troops nor the Afgans to wipe out these critical drug industry sites. Yet in that same period Afghanistan has doubled production of opium and heroin each year and has emerged as a Narco-state - supplying 90% of Europe's drugs and financing groups as diverse as Taliban, al Qaeda, Pakistan Intelligence services, Afghan warlords, Iranian, Tashkent, and Uzbeki intermediaries, etc.
1)See USAToday for the depth of opium and drug trafficing problems
2)State of War by James Risen published by Free Press for the explicit knowledge of who, when and where of Afghan drug trade
3)The muddled state of US policy in Afghanistan is revealed in this Congressional report:U.S. Counternarcotics Policy in Afghanistan: Time for Leadership
4)And again in this report to Congress on Terrorism and Drugs
5)The Christian Science Monitor is even more blunt in its assessment

The net result is that Canada's tour of duty commences when the US and Afghanis have started a dubiously organized campaign of interdiction that will put Canadian soldiers in harms way while leaving amiss any co-ordinated and comprehensive action on drug production. This lack of comprehensive actions leaves the Afghan Drug Lords in conjunction with their sponsors and clients including the Taliban and al Qaeda still able to more than finance a counter-offensive. Canada should ask much more of the US-led and Afghan military and policy makers before committing to such dubious duty. But the the opportunity to demand more may have been already frittered away - as Canada is already committed to another year of "duty". How long Canada can afford to play unwitting dupe or second fiddle to what appears to be a "military campaign" with its hands-tied from striking at one of core problems may be a lot less than Canadian politicians seem to be counting on.

(c)JBSurveyer 2006