Pubdate: Mon, 05 Nov 2001 Source: Times-Picayune, The (LA) Copyright: 2001 The Times-Picayune Contact: http://www.nola.com/t-p/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/848 Author: E A Armstrong Jr WIPE OUT TALIBAN DRUG FIELDS A recent news program revealed that the Taliban regime in Afghanistan is primarily financed by the profits from the production and sale of opium. While it is understandable that we can't find bin Laden, we surely can find poppy fields so extensive as to produce $10 billion in profits annually. Only 12 percent of Afghanistan is arable land. Prior to the Taliban this land was used for growing wheat, nuts, fruit and grass for grazing sheep. The Taliban have concluded that there is more money in opium than there is in nuts. Therefore all farmland is a target. The destruction could be accomplished with conventional bombing and herbicides. Once we start destroying this drug operation and affecting the Taliban's income, they will have second thoughts about harboring bin Laden. Even the wealth of bin Laden can't offset the potential loss of billions in drug profits. E.A. Armstrong Jr., Slidell - --- MAP posted-by: Derek