British military sanctions Afghan poppy cultivation

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  British military sanctions Afghan poppy cultivation

*Declan Walsh in Kabul
Friday April 27, 2007
Guardian Unlimited <http://www.guardian.co.uk/>*


Angry Afghan officials have reprimanded British diplomats over a 
campaign by UK troops in Helmand telling farmers that growing poppy was 
understandable and acceptable.

A radio message broadcast across the province assured local farmers that 
the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) would not 
interfere with poppy fields currently being harvested.

"Respected people of Helmand. The soldiers of ISAF and the Afghan 
national army do not destroy poppy fields," it said. "They know that 
many people of Afghanistan have no choice but to grow poppy. ISAF and 
the Afghan national army do not want to stop people from earning their 
livelihoods."

The message was drafted by British officers and carried on two local 
stations in Afghanistan's largest province. It infuriated senior Afghan 
officials - including the president, Hamid Karzai - who demanded an 
explanation. The Afghan government has been under intense western 
pressure to rein in the burgeoning drugs trade. Opium cultivation soared 
59% last year, earning local traffickers £1.2bn. The spike was 
concentrated in Helmand.

"This was an error by ISAF," said Zalmay Afzali, a spokesman for the 
counter-narcotics ministry. "We have asked ISAF to avoid such problems 
in the future because it can create a hell of a problem."

After a series of stormy meetings, Nato announced this week that it was 
dropping the ads. "We've recognised this was a mistake and we addressed 
it as soon as possible," said spokesman Nicholas Lunt. British officials 
issued an official apology to their Afghan counterparts.

The incident highlights a schism within western policy in Afghanistan 
between and diplomats and the military. Since 2001 western embassies 
have channeled hundreds of millions of pounds into hunting for drugs 
traffickers, encouraging farmers to switch to licit crops and funding 
eradication efforts.

But Nato refuses to get involved in eradication, arguing that the sight 
of western soldiers slashing through poppy fields could drive hundreds 
of farmers into the arms of the Taliban. Western soldiers say their main 
job is to provide security so the Afghan government can eliminate the 
poppy trade.

The argument is particularly sharp in Helmand, where combat takes place 
amid some of the world's largest poppy plantations. To win support from 
sceptical farmers, British officers are at pains to distance themselves 
from poppy eradication efforts. Recently in Sangin they discussed paying 
a farmer the market rate for his field of poppy where they hoped to 
build a new military base.

"It's all about the civilians. They have to understand that we are here 
to kill the Taliban, not to cut down their poppy," said Lieutenant 
Charlie Mayo, a British military spokesman. But he admitted the wording 
of the recent radio message was "ambiguous and open to 
misinterpretation" and said that after complaints from the local 
governor it was removed and an apology issued.

But drugs and the insurgency are closely intertwined - in Helmand the 
Taliban pushes farmers to grow poppy and takes a percentage profit from 
the trade. Anti-narcotics officials argue the two problems must be 
tackled together.

"It's ridiculous. The British embassy is sponsoring a 'don't grow poppy 
campaign' while the military pays for one that tells people they 
should," said a western official in Kabul. "Insecurity and poppy are the 
same issue - one creates the conditions for the other. This won't be 
over until the poppy is gone."
"

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