Drug traffickers 'executing farmers, taking children'

[falah]

Note that this lawlessness occurs in areas with NATO presence, not Taliban-controlled areas:


Drug traffickers 'executing farmers, taking children'

Shocking evidence has been uncovered of people in Afghanistan being executed or forced to give up their children to repay drug traffickers.

The issue is explored in a disturbing documentary to be shown on Four Corners on Monday night, and is a indirect result of NATO policy.

NATO forces are encouraging the destruction of lucrative opium crops in favour of farmers growing food.

But while the opium crops are destroyed, the farmers' debts to the traffickers remain.

The documentary shows that farmers in Afghanistan are being executed by drug gangs because they cannot pay the debts.

Children are also at risk.

The giving up of children to pay debts is a custom which has been practised for many years in Afghanistan, but the documentary shows drug gangs are now exploiting the tradition to devastating effect.

Amina, 14, has found herself used as a tradeable commodity.

She is in hiding, constantly moving around Afghanistan on foot to avoid be taken by drug traffickers.

"I'm at home because of the smugglers. They gave us money and we can't repay them. Now they want to take me by force," she said.

Amina's farmer has been warned: pay up or hand over your daughter.

Like many Afghan farmers, he is tens of thousands of dollars in debt to drug traffickers.

"My father wanted to sell me to drug smugglers but I didn't want to get married. He beat me. My father would beat me and pull my hair," Amina said.

"He would kick me and my mother and would threaten to drag us out of the house.

"My father had taken money from them and then promised that I would marry that man."

The reporter for the story Opium Brides was Najibullah Quraisi, who journeyed deep into the Afghan countryside to reveal the personal and social devastation the opium eradication program is causing.

The producer was Jamie Doran, who explains what happened to the girls they tracked for the documentary.

"The situation is exactly the same. The two girls who were free are still free we're glad to say but they're having to move constantly to stay one step ahead of the traffickers," he said.

"Will they survive? I don't know.

"Eighty-five per cent of the population live in the country mainly uneducated.

"They're at the beck and call in many ways of the Taliban, the Taliban controls huge areas and the Taliban get most of their funding of course from the drugs traffickers."

Opium Brides can be seen on Four Corners on ABC1 at 8:30 on Monday night.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-1...orners/4130678

[fatima_43]

the Taliban controls huge areas and the Taliban get most of their funding of course from the drugs traffickers."

is that true?

[falah]

the Taliban controls huge areas and the Taliban get most of their funding of course from the drugs traffickers."

is that true?

The US government makes something like $20 billion per year from taxing drug producers!

The Taliban stopped enforcing a law against opium production after the US invasion. I guess fighting against drugs is not the priority when your country get invaded by NATO.

[fatima_43]

but is Taliban getting funding from drug traffickers?

[abu rashid]

but is Taliban getting funding from drug traffickers?

Why wouldn't the Taliban seize their ill gotten gains? In fact they'd be irresponsible not to.

[fatima_43]

Why wouldn't the Taliban seize their ill gotten gains? In fact they'd be irresponsible not to.

when you put it that way, fair enough. The article makes Taliban sound like drug dealers.

[abu rashid]

when you put it that way, fair enough. The article makes Taliban sound like drug dealers.

As far as I'm aware, all they do is confiscate/tax them, which is what we'd expect them to do. As falah said, since the Western terrorist militants invaded, the Taliban is hardly going to be worrying themselves about policing this.

[Ansari]

The taliban ran one of the most successful drug eradication programs ever conducted... very had to see the taliban dealing drugs considering mullah omar issued a fatwa declaring it all haram and destroying the poppy fields... which returned after the taliban withdrew from much of their territory & corrupt warlords returned.

[Musa]

When the Taliban was in power they managed to stop 90% of Afghanistan's opium production. It was unprecedented seeing something that successful.

The Americans allowed opium production to resume when they took power of areas, arguing that it was needed to stimulate the local economy, and therefore ensuring that the locals would not become downtrodden and turn to the Taliban for hope.

So who are the real drug dealers here?

[fatima_43]

So who are the real drug dealers here?

the same ones that have dancing boys

[Musa]

The trail always leads back to this guy -