Bush admits Failings as Afghan Poppy Output Doubles

Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan doubled between 2002 and 2003 to a
level 36 times higher than in the last year of rule by the Taliban.

The new Afghan Government, led by President Hamid Karzai, has not been
able to impose its will in many areas of the country, which remain
under the control of warlords.

Last Update: Saturday, November 29, 2003. 8:12pm (AEDT)

US admits failings as Afghan poppy output doubles

Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan doubled between 2002 and 2003 to a
level 36 times higher than in the last year of rule by the Taliban.

The Taliban was cracking down on poppy production in the year before
the US military drove the movement out of office in late 2001 in
response to its friendship and cooperation with the Al Qaeda and Osama
bin Laden.

The new Afghan Government, led by President Hamid Karzai, has not been
able to impose its will in many areas of the country, which remain
under the control of warlords.

The White House statement said, "A challenging security situation...
has complicated significantly the task of implementing
counter-narcotics assistance programs and will continue to do so for
the immediate future".

"Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is a major and growing problem. Drug
cultivation and trafficking are undermining the rule of law and
putting money in the pocket of terrorists," it said, quoting office
director John Walters.

The area planted with poppies, used to make heroin and morphine, was
61,000 hectares in 2003, compared with 30,700 hectares in 2002 and
1,685 hectares in 2001, the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy said in a statement.

The US figures differ significantly from those released a month ago by
the United Nations, which estimated that poppy cultivation rose 8
percent in 2003, to 80,000 hectares from 74,000 hectares in 2002.

The White House said the United Nations used a different method, based
a mixture of ground surveys and analysis of imagery from commercial
satellites.

The US estimates are based on a sample survey of Afghan agricultural
regions conducted with specialised government satellite imaging
systems, it said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1000068.htm

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