U.N. Agency Declares Afghan Province ‘Nearly Poppy-Free’

By Navy Lt. Neil Myers
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 21, 2008 – The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime recently declared Afghanistan’s Konar province to be “nearly poppy-free” in 2006 and 2007.

Afghan counter-narcotics and government officials speak with members of the media during a groundbreaking at the new Konar Teacher Training Center in downtown Abad, July 6, 2008. Courtesy photo
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

During a July 6 trip to the province, Afghanistan’s minister for counternarcotics, Gen. Khodaidad, announced that Konar has qualified for two monetary awards totaling $750,000 from the Counternarcotics Trust Fund.

Konar Gov. Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi and his provincial council decided to use $420,000 of that money to upgrade the Konar Teacher Training College with a 60-room dormitory, dining facility and meeting hall. A lack of dormitories requires students of either to commute or to rent local accommodations while attending school.

“This is a great day for Konar and Afghanistan”, said Navy Cmdr. Daniel Dwyer, Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team commander. “When you see the government of Afghanistan, on its own, bringing projects to its people that provide for long-term jobs and economic growth, it shows everyone that progress is well on its way.”

After Khodaidad’s remarks, Wahidi, members of parliament and the delegation moved to the site of the future college facilities for the ceremonial groundbreaking.

“This province is devoted to eliminating poppy in spite of the many problems facing farmers,” said Khudaidaad, who thanked the province’s elders, who have been campaigning against narcotics.

Wahidi and the Provincial Development Council have not yet decided whether they want to spend the rest of the money on one large provincial project or distribute it for small, district-level projects. The governor said that he will spend some of the money to build irrigation canals and to make educational improvements.

“The people of Konar deserve the credit for the poppy eradication,” Wahidi said. “All the tribal elders and people of Konar are committed to putting an end to this [poppy] seed, because the smuggling, trafficking and growing of narcotics is forbidden by Islam.”

(Navy Lt. Neil Myers serves with the Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team.)

Military Connection's Comments:

The Taliban and al-Qaida have made multi millions of dollars off the opium trade. They have used that money to purchase weapons and train militants to kill the Afghan people and the Afghan forces. Poppy fields have also been a source of income for Afghan farmers. The profits of the opium trade are so high that there has been corruption among members of the Afghan government. The United States Aid Program launched its Alternative Livelihoods Program (ALP) to provide economic alternatives to the production of poppy in Afghanistan. The program is key to the counter-narcotics strategy. It is designed to accelerate economic growth in the provinces of Afghanistan. Konar province has almost eliminated poppy growth and look forward to the total eradication of poppy farming.

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