Us Troops And Afghanistan's Opium Fields: A Complex Relationship

Afghanistan has a long history of opium poppy cultivation, and the country has been the world's leading illicit drug producer since 2001. The US has spent billions of dollars on counter-narcotics efforts since 2001, but the war-torn country consistently produces about 85% of the world's illicit opium supply. The Taliban has taken mixed stances on opium over the years, but the group has profited immensely from the trade, with up to 60% of their annual revenue coming from the drug.

US troops have been involved in counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan, including the yearlong campaign Operation Iron Tempest, which targeted drug labs and networks across the country. However, the operation was ultimately deemed a failure, and the US military quietly ended it. The US has also employed other tactics, such as bribing farmers to stop cultivating poppies and hiring mercenaries to invade poppy fields. Despite these efforts, opium production in Afghanistan has skyrocketed, and the drug industry has tightened its grip on the country's economy.

The US has spent billions on anti-drug efforts in Afghanistan, with little success

The US has spent billions of dollars on anti-drug efforts in Afghanistan, with little success.

Since 2001, the US has spent $8.9 billion on counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan, yet the country has consistently produced about 85% of the world's illicit opium supply. The US military has targeted Taliban narcotics facilities with airstrikes and Special Operations raids, but the drug trade has continued to thrive.

The US has also spent around $100 million annually on aircraft used in eradication and counter-narcotics programs. In addition, the State Department has been spending $35-$45 million a year on manual eradication efforts, carried out by Afghans paid a few dollars a day.

Despite these efforts, poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has continued to increase. In 2017, poppy cultivation hit a record high, with 328,000 hectares of land being used. This marked an increase of 63% from 2016 and was the largest amount since 2002.

The failure of the US's anti-drug efforts in Afghanistan can be attributed to several factors, including:

• The resilience of poppy farmers, who have few other ways to feed their families.
• The lack of effective alternative crops, as wheat is volatile and other alternative crops are difficult to transport and store.
• The involvement of the Taliban in the drug trade, as they tax poppy farmers and provide protection for drug traffickers.
• Corruption among Afghan officials, who have been accused of colluding with drug traffickers and protecting the drug trade.
• The lack of a coordinated and effective strategy by the US and its allies, with efforts often being poorly designed and implemented.

Opium is a lucrative crop for Afghan farmers

The dry climate and difficulty of transporting fresh produce in Afghanistan make export agriculture hard. However, the opium poppy is drought-tolerant, doesn't spoil on long voyages, and is easy to transport and store.

In 2007, 93% of the non-pharmaceutical-grade opiates on the world market originated in Afghanistan. By 2019, Afghanistan still produced about 84% of the world market, amounting to an export value of about $4 billion. In 2021, Afghanistan's harvest produced more than 90% of illicit heroin globally and more than 95% of the European supply.

Despite the risks and illegality, many Afghan farmers continue to grow opium poppies because of the high profits. One farmer, Hajji Said Gul, said:

> "The Taliban have already promised us that they will keep fighting the government and foreign forces until we collect our harvest from the fields... All my hopes are related to the poppy harvest."

However, the profits from opium are not evenly distributed. In 2001, a quarter of the income from opium was earned by opium farmers, with the rest going to district officials, insurgents, warlords, and drug traffickers.

The Taliban's stance on opium has changed over time

In 1999, the Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar banned poppy farming on religious grounds, resulting in a 99% reduction in opium poppy farming in Taliban-controlled areas. This ban was only briefly effective, as the Taliban were deposed in 2001.

After the US invasion, the Taliban used opium money to fund their campaign to retake Afghanistan, earning up to 60% of their annual revenue from the trade. Despite having previously banned opium, the Taliban now had a vested interest in the drug trade.

In 2022, the Taliban once again banned opium production. However, this ban has had negative consequences for Afghan farmers, causing economic hardship and threatening to destabilise the Taliban regime.

The US has used airstrikes to target drug labs in Afghanistan

In November 2017, the US military began targeting Taliban narcotics facilities with airstrikes and Special Operations raids, after opium production in Afghanistan reached record highs. The US military estimated that the Taliban operated up to 500 drug labs, which helped fuel their long-running insurgency. The US military's strategy was inspired by the battle against ISIS, where daily airstrikes successfully eviscerated the militants' black market oil-smuggling operation.

US airstrikes in Afghanistan have targeted drug labs, particularly in Helmand, Farah, and Nimroz provinces. The US military has used advanced fighter jets, such as B-52 bombers and F-22 Raptors, to carry out these strikes. However, critics have questioned the use of such advanced aircraft to target rudimentary drug labs, which are often just stoves, barrels, and precursor chemicals in a hut.

The US military has conducted over 200 strikes aimed at disabling the Taliban's narcotics production, processing, trading, and transportation networks. Despite these efforts, the drug trade in Afghanistan has thrived. Opium production in the country has hit record highs in recent years, and the country continues to produce about 85% of the world's illicit opium supply.

The US military's counter-drug air campaign has faced criticism from various quarters. Some have questioned the effectiveness of the airstrikes in curbing the drug trade, while others have raised concerns about civilian casualties. A United Nations (UN) report released in October 2019 stated that US airstrikes on drug labs in Farah and Nimroz provinces in May 2019 killed or wounded at least 39 civilians, including 14 children. The UN report contradicted the US military's assessment that there were no civilian casualties in the strikes.

The legality of targeting drug labs and the individuals working in them has also been debated. The US military has argued that drug labs are legitimate military targets as they contribute to the Taliban's war-fighting efforts. However, the UN has asserted that drug labs and the individuals working in them should be protected from attack, as they do not meet the definition of legitimate military objectives under international law.

The US military's counter-drug air campaign in Afghanistan has faced challenges and controversies, and its effectiveness in curbing the drug trade has been questioned. The campaign has also raised concerns about civilian casualties and the legality of targeting drug labs and individuals working in them.

The US has considered various strategies to reduce opium production in Afghanistan

In 2002, the UK, as the lead country in addressing counter-narcotics issues in Afghanistan, started an eradication program that compensated farmers whose poppy crops were destroyed. However, this approach was ineffective.

In 2004, the US government issued its first counternarcotics strategy for Afghanistan, which emphasised poppy crop eradication. This strategy was supported by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL). However, the push for eradication was based on flawed assumptions and poor data, and it damaged US-Afghan relations.

In 2005, the US military began to give higher priority to counternarcotics, and in 2006, the DEA started mentoring Afghan units and raiding drug production sites. In 2007, the Afghan Threat Finance Cell was established to target financial flows related to the insurgency, drug trafficking, and corruption.

In 2008, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) adopted a policy of selective interdiction focused on Taliban-linked traffickers. This policy continued until 2014, and was then resumed by the US military in 2017.

In 2009, the Obama administration shifted its counternarcotics strategy away from eradication and towards interdiction and alternative development. However, these alternative development programs were often too short-term and failed to provide sustainable alternatives to poppy.

In 2017, the Trump administration resumed the use of airstrikes against drug labs in Helmand Province. However, this strategy carries the risk of resulting in civilian deaths, alienating rural populations, and strengthening the insurgency.

In 2018, the US government shifted its focus again, this time towards disrupting drug-related financial flows to insurgent and terrorist groups, promoting licit livelihood options for rural communities, and combating drug-related corruption within the Afghan government.

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