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Narcotics Surge Aids Afghan, Colombia Militants

"Narcotics supplies have increased sharply in parts of Afghanistan and Colombia where insurgents are in control, helping them fund their activities, the United Nations said on Thursday."

http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSN26478111

Unlike Colombia, though, the US marines are actually protecting drug crops in Afghanistan see below:

"The Marines of Bravo Company's 1st Platoon sleep beside a grove of poppies. Troops in the 2nd Platoon playfully swat at the heavy opium bulbs while walking through the fields. Afghan laborers scraping the plant's gooey resin smile and wave.

Last week, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit moved into southern Helmand province, the world's largest opium poppy-growing region, and now find themselves surrounded by green fields of the illegal plants that produce the main ingredient of heroin.

Yet the Marines are not destroying the plants. In fact, they are reassuring villagers the poppies won't be touched. American commanders say the Marines would only alienate people and drive them to take up arms if they eliminated the impoverished Afghans' only source of income.

Many Marines in the field are scratching their heads over the situation."

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Marines_ignore_Afghan_opium_so_as_0507.h...

By vladimiro on Jun 27, 2008, 08:11 in Politics & the war.