The drug lab bombing campaign in Afghanistan that was championed as a game-changer didn’t have the intended effect of hitting the Taliban’s purse and was probably a waste of resources.
Afghan commandos executed a nighttime raid against the Taliban’s “Red Unit” in Helmand province on Monday, seizing over a ton of hashish valued at $3.4 million and freeing five captives.
The top U.S. general in Afghanistan says American aircraft have targeted drug producing facilities for the first time under a new strategy aimed at cutting off Taliban funding.
Opium production is at record highs in Afghanistan despite an increase in poppy eradication, which is likely to fuel more instability and violence in the region.