Afghanistan: April 27, 2002

Archives

The first poppy crop of the year is about to be harvested. This will make anti-terrorism operations more difficult, as the drug gangs will be moving drugs and money across the country. Anyone who tries to interfere with these operations will get shot at. Al Qaeda and Taliban groups moving will look just like the drug gangsters. The government can make deals with the drug gangs, which will make it easier to find and catch al Qaeda, but this will not be popular back home.

Afghan warlord Dostum, who controls most of northern Afghanistan, has released several hundred of the Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners held since last November. Dostum has not had the money to feed the prisoners, so the UN has taken responsibility for that. The prisoners released are generally older Pakistanis. US intelligence agents have already gone through the prisoners and taken the most likely terrorist suspects. But most of the remainder are pro-Taliban and a potential threat to the current groups ruling Afghanistan.

 

Article Archive

Afghanistan: Current 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 


X

ad
0
20

Help Keep Us Soaring

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month.

Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage. A contribution is not a donation that you can deduct at tax time, but a form of crowdfunding. We store none of your information when you contribute..
Subscribe   Contribute   Close