Remember Afghanistan?

[theHandpuppet]

You know, the country that once harbored Bin Laden and Al Qaida, the one once ruled by the Taliban and one of the biggest heroin-producing countries in the world? What happened -- did it suddenly drop off the map?

I know we still have troops there, the poppies are growing better than ever, Bin Laden's still on the loose, and the Taliban are making a resurgence. Yet I never hear a peep about Afghanistan these days -- nothing at all! Just what is going on over there? Or is that just "yesterday's news"?

[fob]

1. Afghanwhocaresistan is SOOOOOO September 10th.

/madness

[Minstrel Boy]

2. Literally, yesterday's news about Afghanistan

was that the UN was calling it a virtual narco-state, and US policy towards the poppy-growing warlords was contributing to the problem.

Well, problem for some; opportunity for others. Like the CIAl Qaeda.

[MaryH]

3. The poppies have been in the news a lot in the last few days

The poppy crop increased to 85% of the world's supply of opium and heroin. It is 60% of the Afghan gross national product. 1 in 10 people in Afghanistan is involved in the drug trade. And a lot of the money goes to alQuaeda and Taliban. I suppose a lot of the drugs go to our streets.

Karzai came out and told the Americans not to spray the fields with stuff to kill the poppies. The spray kills the other crops and harms the villager's health.

[okieinpain]

4. oh the taliban isn't making a return to power. how do I know, because

if they did that would interfere with the drug lords record heroin crops.