Nato pulls Afghan opium ad

2007-04-25 20:51

Kabul - Nato said on Wednesday that it has withdrawn a radio message telling Afghan farmers that its troops will not destroy their opium fields, following complaints that the alliance appeared to condone the illicit crop.

The advertisement was paid for by the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force and aired on radio stations in Helmand province, the largest opium-producing area in the world and the focus of Nato's biggest anti-Taliban offensive.

"The Afghan National Army and ISAF forces will not eradicate your (opium) poppies, because ANA and ISAF forces know that the people here have no other income, that is why you are cultivating poppies," said the Pashto-language ad.

"The ANA and ISAF forces do not want to cut the income of the people."

Afghanistan's government called the ad a mistake, saying it sent the wrong message.

"This was an error by ISAF," said Zalmay Afzali, a spokesperson for Afghanistan's ministry for counter narcotics.

'Eradication efforts'

"We request from ISAF to avoid these kind of errors in the future because it can create a hell of a problem for the counter-narcotics strategy of Afghanistan," said Afzali.

ISAF spokesperson Angela Billings said the "poorly worded address" was taken off air on Tuesday.

While Nato has no role in poppy eradication, "we support the Afghan government in their efforts," she said.

Nato and Afghanistan's army have kept out of eradication efforts - which are performed by police and a specially trained eradication force - for fear of fuelling the insurgency they are trying to quash.

Nearly 2 million farmers grow opium poppies, according to government figures.

Encouraged by the Taliban, a powerful drug mafia and poor farmers' need for a profitable crop that can withstand drought, opium production from poppies in Afghanistan last year rose 49% to 6 700 tons - enough to make about 670 tons of heroin.

More poppy crops

That is more than 90% of the world's supply and more than the world's addicts consume in a year.

Officials dealing with counter-narcotics forecast that this year' production will be equal to, if not greater than last year's record crop.

The booming drug economy and the involvement of government officials and police in the illicit trade compound the many problems facing Afghanistan's fledgling democracy as its struggles with stepped-up attacks by insurgents loyal to the former Taliban regime.

- AP