i1connect News: Imperato Supports Poppy Eradication in Afghanistan
Detractors of the US policy contend that the plan will incite more Taliban insurgency with the destruction of the opium crop which accounts for roughly one-third of Afghanistan's GDP.
In the United States, 2008 Presidential Candidate Daniel Imperato has long called for the eradication of the poppy crop in Afghanistan.
As far back as his January 5, 2006 press release "Imperato on Bin Laden, Afghanistan, and The Poppy.", Imperato has pointed out that the rise of the poppy crop is directly tied to the rise in power of the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
During that release, Imperato stated, "Mark my words once again, that the greatest threat is for al-Qaeda to regain its financial strength, which is directly related to Uncle Poppy. I have addressed this situation in the past, and I stand up for the United States and its people to demand immediate action pertaining to the war chest of Osama Bin Laden's poppy fields."
Imperato was further validated by a September 2006 report from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, and its Chief Antonio Maria Costa, and by the subsequent New York Times article, (Gall, Carlotta. "Afghanistan's opium harvest at record levels" New York Times. September 3, 2006.)
Still, the Bush administration provided no action, other than to state that Afghanistan was in danger of becoming a full-fledged "narcotics-state".
At the time, the UN reported that 92% of the world's opium was coming from Afghanistan.
Now, the Administration is trying to take hard action against the poppy crop, but it may be too late.
Imperato stated, "When we first went into Afghanistan, we had control over the country and had successfully eliminated the Taliban from control. When we left, and let the poppy crops return to prominence we allowed the Taliban to come back better than ever. With the strength of the Taliban at this point, it may be too late to successfully diminish their power in the region."
Members of the international community have asserted that because of the strength of the poppy crop, Taliban insurgency would rise in Afghanistan. They have insisted that crop elimination be part of a broader plan of economic rejuvenation.
To that point, Imperato stated the following, "I agree, there must be economic development in Afghanistan. We must encourage investment and small business ownership. But if we wait any longer to destroy the poppy crop, we will have a situation in Afghanistan that is far worse than the Taliban was before 9/11."
*** This release has been created by i1connect, an independent news agency.***
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