Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Afghanistan

Afghan, NATO Forces Kill 10 Suspected Taliban

Helmand has become the scene of heavy fighting (file photo) (AFP)

July 13, 2007 -- Some 10 suspected Taliban were killed today in southern Afghanistan during a clash with Afghan and NATO forces.

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July 13, 2007

An Afghan National Army officer, Muhiddin Ghori said the militants were killed during a battle in Gereshk district in Helmand Province.

He said another 20 suspected Taliban were killed in Gereshk in clashes and air strikes on July 12.

(AP)

Afghanistan's Opium Problem

An antidrug billboard in Kabul shows a skeleton hanging from an opium bulb (AFP)

OPIUM FARMING ON THE RISE Despite a nationwide program by the Afghan government to eradicate opium-poppy fields and offer farmers alternative crops, international experts say that the 2006 opium crop was as much as 50 percent larger than the previous year's record crop. Afghanistan also accounted for practically all of the world's illegal opium production.(more)

NATO Struggles With Security, Rebuilding In Southern Province

UN Antidrug Chief Wants NATO To Destroy Opium

Saffron Could Help Wean Farmers Off Opium Poppies

Poppy-Eradication Drive Launched In Western Province

Insurgency Gains Ground As Poppy-Eradication Efforts Struggle

For weekly news and analysis on Afghanistan by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report."

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U.S. Hearing On Balochistan Raises Hackles, Awareness In Pakistan

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