Pubdate: Fri, 02 Apr 2004 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) 569-4403-9a1d-fc8bb18578d9 Copyright: 2004 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: CanWest News Service BUMPER OPIUM CROP IN AFGHANISTAN WASHINGTON - Afghanistan's opium poppy cultivation has soared, and this year's harvest could be twice as large as last year's near-record crop unless eradication efforts are stepped up immediately, a U.S. State Department official said Thursday. The heroin business is "almost definitely" filling the coffers of the Taliban and Hizb-I Islami Gulbuddin, another Afghan extremist group linked to Osama bin Laden, and "possibly" enriching al-Qaeda fighters as well, said Robert Charles, assistant secretary of State for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs. In rare but carefully muted criticism of America's top ally, Charles said British authorities had not done enough to eradicate poppies in their sector in southern Afghanistan. He warned that failure to stop the bumper harvest, which has already begun in some areas due to unusually warm weather, would have devastating consequences not only for the global drug trade but also for Afghan democracy. "This is crunch time in Afghanistan," Charles told a congressional panel. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh