Marines Ignore Poppies In Goodwill Gesture To Afghan Locals

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
San Diego Union-Tribune
May 7, 2008 By Jason Straziuso, Associated Press
GARMSER, Afghanistan – The Marines of Bravo Company's 1st Platoon sleep beside a field of poppies. Troops in the 2nd Platoon playfully swat at the heavy opium bulbs while walking through the fields. Afghan laborers scraping the plant's gooey resin smile and wave.
Last week, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit moved into southern Helmand province, the world's largest region for growing opium poppy, and now they find themselves surrounded by green fields of the illegal plants that produce the main ingredient of heroin.
The Taliban, whose fighters are exchanging daily fire with the Marines in Garmser, derive up to $100 million a year from the poppy harvest by taxing farmers and charging safe-passage fees – money that will buy weapons for use against U.S., NATO and Afghan troops.
Yet the Marines are not destroying the plants. In fact, they are reassuring villagers the poppies won't be touched. U.S. commanders say the Marines would only alienate people and drive them to take up arms if they eliminated the impoverished Afghans' only source of income.
Many Marines in the field are scratching their heads over the situation. “It's kind of weird. We're coming over here to fight the Taliban. We see this. We know it's bad. But at the same time we know it's the only way locals can make money,” said 1st Lt. Adam Lynch, 27, of Barnstable, Mass.
The Marines' battalion commander, Lt. Col. Anthony Henderson, said yesterday that the poppy crop “will come and go” and that his troops can't focus on it when Taliban fighters around Garmser are “terrorizing the people.”
“I think by focusing on the Taliban, the poppies will go away,” said Henderson, 41, of Washington, D.C. He said that once the militant fighters are forced out, the Afghan government can move in and offer alternatives.
Khan Mohammad, an Afghan born in Helmand province who lives in Pakistan and came to work the fields, said he makes $2 a day. He said the work is dangerous now that Taliban militants are shooting at U.S. positions. “If we go over there those guys will fire at us. If we come here, we're in danger, too, but we have to work,” said the 54-year-old Mohammad, who said he supports a family of 10.
 
As crazy as it sounds, the Marines are doing the right thing.

I would go a step further. I would buy the poppy crop at a better price
than the Taliban and drug dealers could afford to pay. (Even at a higher price, its chicken feed...).

This would choke off their money supply preventing them from obtaining arms.

And as luck might have it there happens to be a shortage of Morphine which as you know is made out of poppy.

Kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
 
I agree. They are doing the right thing.
And I agree with you mmarsh. An OUTSTANDING idea. Why isn't anyone doing this as now?
 
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