Friday, May 29, 2009

Taliban's Foreign Support Vexes U.S.

An Afghan man harvests opium in a poppy field in Farah province. The U.S. aims to rehabilitate Afghanistan by halting the country's drug trade. Reuters

From The Wall Street Journal:

WASHINGTON -- U.S. officials recently concluded that the Afghan Taliban may receive as much money from foreign donors as it does from opium sales, potentially hindering the Obama administration's strategy to rehabilitate Afghanistan by stopping the country's drug trade.

Gen. David Petraeus, who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said in a recent interview that the Taliban has three main sources of funding: drug revenue; payments from legitimate businesses that are secretly owned by the armed group or that pay it kickbacks; and donations from foreign charitable foundations and individuals.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

US: 35 militants killed, 13 wounded in Afghanistan -- AP
35 Militants Killed in Afghanistan -- Voice of America
Coalition forces raid suspected training camp, kill 34 militants in Afghanistan -- Dallas News/AP
US says 35 militants killed in Afghanistan -- AFP
Taliban kill 4 truckers, set fire on 10 trucks in S Afghanistan -- China View
Petraeus: Video Shows Strike Aimed At Taliban -- NPR
Video shows Taliban hit in Afghan strikes -Petraeus -- Reuters
Britain in for long Afghan summer -- Defense Management
Taliban militants burn down school in S Afghanistan -- China View
Taliban kill Afghan students, burn schools -- Washington Times
AFGHANISTAN: Farmers face poppy dilemma -- IRIN
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 617 -- Washington Post

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