C
COALITION TROOPS WORKING WITH AFGHAN COMMANDOS recent-
ly came under fi re while conducting a search near the Maywand District
in Kandahar province. After an exchange of fi re that left 15 insurgents
dead and six in custody, bomb-making materials, homemade explosives,
and machine gun rounds were discovered in a compound insurgents ap-
parently had been using as a command-and-control center. More than
100 pounds of opium and 50 pounds of heroin also were found.
Afghanistan produces 92 percent propelled grenades],” says former role of ISAF had been limited to
of the world’s opium, according to commander of the NATO-led Inter- sharing information and advising
the U.N., which also estimates the national Security Assistance Force the Afghan government regarding
country’s illicit drug trade now is (ISAF) U.S. Army Gen. Dan McNeill. suspected traffi cking activities. But
generating more than $100 million The relationship between the at the urging of Secretary of Defense
annually for the Taliban and other international heroin trade and the Robert M. Gates and U.S. Army Gen.
insurgent groups. insurgency in Afghanistan poses a John Craddock, among others, the
“When I see a poppy fi eld, I see serious threat to global security, a policy regarding ISAF drug interdic-
it turning into money and then into fact recognized by NATO ministers tion was revised to allow U.S. forces
IEDs [improvised explosive de- who met in Budapest, Hungary, in to act in concert with Afghan offi -
vices], AK[-47]s, and RPGs [rocket- October 2008. Until that time, the cials against facilities and facilitators
5 0 M I L I T A R Y O F F I C E R M AY 2 0 0 9 PHOTO: RICK LOOMIS/AP
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