Afghanistan is moving more towards becoming a nation defined by drug production. Growing poppies and turning them into opium and heroin is far more profitable than food crops. And when water is short, which is often, poppies are the only practical crop to grow. Since the growing is done within a tribal framework, the tribes that allow it will unit and fight to defend it. 

Canada is sending 2,000 peacekeeping troops to Afghanistan.

Acting on a tip from a local Afghan, US Special Forces found 17 caves in the northwest that contained 80 tons of explosives and 124 tons of small arms ammo. This stockpile apparently was collected during the 1990s, before the Taliban took over.