Bars and Nightlife in Afghanistan

MAY 2006 BERLIN Warning that Afghanistan was on the brink of becoming a narco- state, NATO's top military commander in Europe said Friday that drug cartels were now more dangerous for the country's future than a resurgent Taliban.

"Afghanistan is teetering on becoming a narco-state," said General James Jones, who was appointed commander of NATO and the U.S. forces in Europe in 2003. "It is not the resurgence of the Taliban but the linkage of the economy to drug production, crime, corruption and black market activities which poses the greatest danger for Afghanistan."

But despite the growing narcotics trade - poppy production has returned to the high levels of production of the mid-1990s, before the Taliban took power - Jones said: "You will not see NATO soldiers burning poppy fields. This is not our mandate."

NATO, which already has 8,900 soldiers based in the north and west after first entering the country in 2002, will in July send an additional 9,000 troops to the south as part of its strategy to extend government control throughout the country, improve security and assist humanitarian and reconstruction efforts. The fighting of the past few days was concentrated in southern provinces.

Amid the preparations to deploy the NATO troops, including forces from Canada, Britain and the Netherlands, Taliban and other fighters stepped up attacks. On Thursday, from 80 to 90 insurgents were killed in Kandahar and Helmand provinces in fighting with U.S. and Afghan forces.

While acknowledging that the number of attacks had increased in recent weeks, Jones said that Afghanistan was "not backsliding into chaos."

Instead, he said, the insurgents were testing the NATO alliance in areas where drug cartels, organized criminal groups, tribes and remnants of the Taliban and Al Qaeda knew they were going to be dislodged.

"They want to see if NATO is up to the test," said Jones, a former U.S. marine commander. "The Taliban and Al Qaeda are not stupid people. They want to see what they are up against. We are going into place where the scope for crime and narcotics will be dislodged."

"Over 90 percent of the heroin from Afghanistan is for Europe," he said.

In addition, Jones said, the Afghan police, which are being trained by Germany, and the judiciary, being trained by Italy, have not been tough enough in cracking down on the drug cartels.

Jones also said the police, especially those outside the cities, were often unpaid and poorly trained.

The judiciary was often corrupt, operating "a revolving door policy" in which rebels were released from prison only to return to the fight, he said.

"We have to do more with the police and law and order," Jones said. "Germany and Italy have not done enough. You need more resources."

Allied forces in Afghanistan may have captured one of the most important and brutal Taliban commanders, Mullah Dadullah, during operations in southern Kandahar Province, an Afghan general said Friday, The New York Times reported from Islamabad.

The governor of Kandahar confirmed that a very senior Taliban commander was among three members of the leadership council of the insurgent movement who had been captured. But he said he could not identify him for reasons of security.

Security forces were continuing their hunt for insurgents after two days of fierce fighting in Kandahar and the adjoining province of Helmand.

more from Judy Dempsey
source: International Herald Tribune