keitha
Member of DD Central
2024, hopefully the year I get out of P2P
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Post by keitha on Jun 16, 2023 11:23:21 GMT
As we all know the Russians, American and now the Taliban are trying to stop opium production in Afghanistan.
The Russians and Americans used heavy machinery ( often tanks ) to crush the fields
they also tried weedkiller
the Americans used flamethrowers.
net result a 20% or so reduction.
the Taliban have men with long sticks that walk through the fields knocking the heads off the poppies, apparently 6 men can clear a field faster than the Americans could with machinery
net result a 70% reduction
having said which I find it ironic the Taliban are so anti opium when it funded them for years
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Post by bracknellboy on Jun 16, 2023 11:42:01 GMT
As we all know the Russians, American and now the Taliban are trying to stop opium production in Afghanistan. The Russians and Americans used heavy machinery ( often tanks ) to crush the fields they also tried weedkiller the Americans used flamethrowers. net result a 20% or so reduction. the Taliban have men with long sticks that walk through the fields knocking the heads off the poppies, apparently 6 men can clear a field faster than the Americans could with machinery net result a 70% reduction having said which I find it ironic the Taliban are so anti opium when it funded them for years perhaps the threat that if the crops are re-planted/seeded it won't be the poppy heads that will be lopped off has also had an effect ? Just surmising... As you note, the irony is particularly acute.
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agent69
Member of DD Central
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Post by agent69 on Jun 16, 2023 13:18:19 GMT
As we all know the Russians, American and now the Taliban are trying to stop opium production in Afghanistan. The Russians and Americans used heavy machinery ( often tanks ) to crush the fields they also tried weedkiller the Americans used flamethrowers. net result a 20% or so reduction. the Taliban have men with long sticks that walk through the fields knocking the heads off the poppies, apparently 6 men can clear a field faster than the Americans could with machinery net result a 70% reduction having said which I find it ironic the Taliban are so anti opium when it funded them for yearsIf you're looking for hypocrisy in the middle east you will find plenty of examples.
Was it the odious Nick Griffin that pointed out that middle eastern countries had the most sever penalties for possesion and use of opium, while turning a blind eye to the fact that it was one of their middle eastern neighbours who were producing most of it.
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Post by mostlywrong on Jun 16, 2023 17:05:03 GMT
Lots of publicity for a case of what I assume is that Farmer B has not paid his protection money to the Taliban.
Farmers A and C around the corner did pay, and were "let off".
If I were really cynical, I might hazard a guess that, somewhere in the background, a foreign NGO is funding the destruction of poppy fields because "it's a good thing..."
I understand that the soil and conditions are so poor in parts of the country (Helmand, for example) that nothing else will grow.
One cannot eat the scenery.
MW
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toffeeboy
Member of DD Central
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Post by toffeeboy on Jun 20, 2023 10:59:19 GMT
Lots of publicity for a case of what I assume is that Farmer B has not paid his protection money to the Taliban.
Farmers A and C around the corner did pay, and were "let off".
If I were really cynical, I might hazard a guess that, somewhere in the background, a foreign NGO is funding the destruction of poppy fields because "it's a good thing..."
I understand that the soil and conditions are so poor in parts of the country (Helmand, for example) that nothing else will grow.
One cannot eat the scenery.
MW
Probably supplying the sticks so more than likely in a few years Americans will be being beaten with those sticks
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