Post by PapaEZRA on Apr 25, 2005 23:22:21 GMT -5
Some farmers fight back as president declares 'holy war' on heroin
The Associated Press
Updated: 12:59 p.m. ET April 25, 2005
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Afghan police and soldiers are pressing ahead with a plan to eradicate the world's largest opium crop, moving from field to field in southern Kandahar province with cutters and large sticks as angry farmers look on.
Similar operations are under way in other parts of the country, though it will be some time until officials get a clear sense of how much of this year's crop is destroyed.
President Hamid Karzai has called for a "holy war" on drugs after Afghanistan's share of the market for opium, the raw material for heroin, leapt to 87 percent last year, sparking warnings that it is fast turning into a narco-state.
The eradication campaign was suspended April 12, its first day, when police sent to destroy poppy fields in Kandahar opened fire on rock-throwing protesters. At least seven people were hurt, though officials denied reports of fatalities.
Last Wednesday, two farmers in western Afghanistan were shot dead by security forces during a protest against the operation.
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7631540/
The Associated Press
Updated: 12:59 p.m. ET April 25, 2005
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Afghan police and soldiers are pressing ahead with a plan to eradicate the world's largest opium crop, moving from field to field in southern Kandahar province with cutters and large sticks as angry farmers look on.
Similar operations are under way in other parts of the country, though it will be some time until officials get a clear sense of how much of this year's crop is destroyed.
President Hamid Karzai has called for a "holy war" on drugs after Afghanistan's share of the market for opium, the raw material for heroin, leapt to 87 percent last year, sparking warnings that it is fast turning into a narco-state.
The eradication campaign was suspended April 12, its first day, when police sent to destroy poppy fields in Kandahar opened fire on rock-throwing protesters. At least seven people were hurt, though officials denied reports of fatalities.
Last Wednesday, two farmers in western Afghanistan were shot dead by security forces during a protest against the operation.
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7631540/