Afghanistan Offers Drug Money to Katrina Victims
Zaman: The Afghan government offered a $100,000 donation to the victims of hurricane Katrina that struck New Orleans, US.
A statement by the US Embassy in Afghanistan said Afghan President Hamid Karzai sent a letter to the US Ambassador Ronald Neumann offering a hand of assistance to the Katrina victims in the US. The US Embassy statement from Neumann noted Karzai's proposal showed the strong ties between the two countries.
The Afghan government, which is under short cash, survives on assistance particularly from the US and other countries. The General elections in Afghanistan, which is still very much underdeveloped, will be held on September 18.
db: The worlds biggest drug economy - US Afghanistan - has offered the US victims of Katrina financial aid. Afghanistan is estimated to produce 87% of the world's supply of opium (4,519 tons this season, down 2% from 2004 ), with nearly half of the country's US$4.5 billion economy coming from opium cultivation and trafficking.
Given that reports coming out of New Orleans suggest that a major factor in the disappearance of the much hawked 'American values' was the city's endemic drugs problem and the unplanned withdrawal of supply this Afghan offer is dripping with irony.
As Asia Times reports: The Taliban resistance generally only targets military convoys or containers carrying oil and goods for US and other foreign troops. By and large, other road transport - especially vehicles carrying drugs - is safe as local warlords receive money from the traffickers to ensure safe passage. In turn, part of this is passed on to the insurgents (through tribal moderators) to keep them away. Ironically, the US supports most of the warlords in Afghanistan.
A statement by the US Embassy in Afghanistan said Afghan President Hamid Karzai sent a letter to the US Ambassador Ronald Neumann offering a hand of assistance to the Katrina victims in the US. The US Embassy statement from Neumann noted Karzai's proposal showed the strong ties between the two countries.
The Afghan government, which is under short cash, survives on assistance particularly from the US and other countries. The General elections in Afghanistan, which is still very much underdeveloped, will be held on September 18.
db: The worlds biggest drug economy - US Afghanistan - has offered the US victims of Katrina financial aid. Afghanistan is estimated to produce 87% of the world's supply of opium (4,519 tons this season, down 2% from 2004 ), with nearly half of the country's US$4.5 billion economy coming from opium cultivation and trafficking.
Given that reports coming out of New Orleans suggest that a major factor in the disappearance of the much hawked 'American values' was the city's endemic drugs problem and the unplanned withdrawal of supply this Afghan offer is dripping with irony.
As Asia Times reports: The Taliban resistance generally only targets military convoys or containers carrying oil and goods for US and other foreign troops. By and large, other road transport - especially vehicles carrying drugs - is safe as local warlords receive money from the traffickers to ensure safe passage. In turn, part of this is passed on to the insurgents (through tribal moderators) to keep them away. Ironically, the US supports most of the warlords in Afghanistan.
posted by exoplanet at 11:44 AM
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