Are American Troops Protecting Afghan Opium?
Preface: As many have noted, the U.S. government has – at least at some times in some parts of the world – protected drug operations. (Big American banks also launder money for drug cartels. See this, this, this and this. Indeed, drug dealers kept the banking system afloat during the depths of the 2008 financial crisis. But that’s beyond the scope of this post.)
The U.S. military has openly said that it is protecting Afghani poppy fields:
As Wikiepedia notes:
Opium production in Afghanistan has been on the rise since U.S. occupation started in 2001.
Public Intelligence has published a series of photographs showing American – and U.S.-trained Afghan – troops patrolling poppy fields in Afghanistan. Public Intelligence informs us that all of the photos are in the public domain, and not subject to copyright, and they assured me that I have every right to reproduce them.
We produce these photos and the accompanying descriptions from Public Intelligence without further comment.
U.S. Marines with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, patrol through a poppy field during Operation Lariat in the Lui Tal district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 16, 2012. The Marines conducted the operation to disrupt enemy logistics and establish a presence in the area. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ismael E. Ortega/Released)
U.S. Marines with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, patrol through a poppy field on their way to Patrol Base (PB) Mohmon in the Lui Tal district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 17, 2012. The Marines joined with coalition forces at the PB to begin conducting operations in the area. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ismael E. Ortega/Released)
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. John K. Silvernail with Golf Company, 2D Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, takes a knee in a field of poppy during a halt in a security patrol in Musa Qal’eh, Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 16, 2012. Marines conducted the patrol to disrupt enemy tactics in the battle space. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Chistopher M. Paulton/Released)
An Afghan boy stands watch over his family’s poppy and wheat fields as U.S. Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6 patrol by in Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan April 24, 2012. Marines conducted the patrol to interact with the local populace and gather information on enemy activity in the area.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Noel Rodriguez, a team leader with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, communicates with an adjacent squad while on patrol in Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 1, 2012. Marines patrolled to provide security in the area and interact with the local populace.
A field filled with opium poppy plants can be seen April 11, 2012, in Marjah, Afghanistan. Heroin is derived from raw opium gum, which comes from opium poppies. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt Michael P. Snody)
A field filled with opium poppy plants can be seen April 11, 2012, in Marjah, Afghanistan. Heroin is derived from raw opium gum, which comes from opium poppies. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt Michael P. Snody)
U.S. Marines with Combined Anti-Armor Team (CAAT), Weapons Company, 2D Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, conduct a satellite patrol through a poppy field in Marjah, Afghanistan, April 16, 2012. CAAT patrolled over a five day period to erect Patrol Base Sledgehammer Four and disrupt insurgent activity in the area. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. David A. Perez/Released)
Landscape photo of poppy flowers in Habib Abad, Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 4, 2012. U.S. Marines and Afghanistan National Army soldiers conducted a patrol to disrupt insurgency activity.
Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier conducts a satellite patrol, April 17, 2012, Marjah, Afghanistan. The ANA took part of a 5 day operation to erect Patrol Base Sledgehammer 4 to disrupt the insurgence activity in the area. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. David A. Perez/Released)
Scored poppy plants await the final harvest in Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan April 24, 2012. The annual poppy harvest yields the largest profit of the year for local Afghan farmers, ultimately resulting in 90 percent of the world’s opium supply.
Scored poppy plants await the final harvest in Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan April 24, 2012. The annual poppy harvest yields the largest profit of the year for local Afghan farmers, ultimately resulting in 90 percent of the world’s opium supply.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Michael Hanley, right, a machine gunner with 2D Squad, 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, patrols through a field of poppy outside of Patrol Base Fires, Helmand province, Afghanistan April 24, 2012. Marines conducted the patrol to interact with the local populace and gather information on enemy activity in the area.
An Afghan farmer watches from a poppy field as the 288th Sapper Company, a National Guard Unit out of Houston, Miss., performs a dismounted patrol in the Uzugan province in southern Afghanistan, April 2, 2012. Dismounted patrols, in conjunction with their route clearance missions, have lead to a significant decrease in insurgent activity in the Dorifshan and Baluchi valleys and an increase in not only the safety and security of the coalition and Afghan Security Forces, but also helped the unit form a bond with the local Afghan civilians.
An Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier provides security during a satellite patrol along a poppy field in Marjah, Afghanistan, April 17, 2012. The ANA took part in a five day partnered operation to erect Patrol Base Sledgehammer Four and disrupt insurgent activity in the area. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. David A. Perez/Released)
A field filled with opium poppy plants can be seen April 11, 2012, in Marjah, Afghanistan. Heroin is derived from raw opium gum, which comes from opium poppies. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt Michael P. Snody)
A U.S. Marine with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6 walks through a poppy field during a security patrol in Gorazan Valley, Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 17, 2012. Marines conducted the patrol in search of suspected enemy fighters. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Andrew J. Good)
U.S. Marines with Combined Anti-Armor Team, Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, conduct a satellite patrol through a poppy field in Marjah, Afghanistan, April 19, 2012. CAAT conducted a five day partnered operation to erect Patrol Base Sledgehammer Four and disrupt insurgent activity in the area. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. David A. Perez)
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Nicholas Gonzalez, a machine gunner with 2nd Squad, 2nd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, patrols through a poppy field in Sangin, Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 27, 2012. Marines conducted the patrol to provide security in the area and interact with the local population.
PATROL BASE SHARK, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – A small girl looks back after receiving a candy bar from a Marine outside the base. The Marines give these small gifts to help gain the trust of young children, who are the future of Afghanistan. The children have become much more receptive to Marines after a decade in the country.
PATROL BASE SHARK, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – Marines and Afghan National Army soldiers patrol through farmlands outside the base recently. Behind the small poppy field in the front of the photo is a wheat field. The local farmers are growing more and more of the wheat as an alternative to growing the illegal poppy.
Poppies grow in a field in the Maiwand district, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, May 2, 2011. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Dillon Townsel/Released)
An Afghan commando with the Afghan National Army’s 3rd Commando Kandak scans the surrounding area for enemy activity during a clearing operation in Maiwand District, May 1, Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The commandos, joined by Navy SEALs team members with Special Operations Task Force – South and members of the Afghan National Civil Order Police, destroyed an IED and recovered IED making materials and a weapons cache during the operation.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jason Phillips crosses a poppy field as Marines conduct a security patrol outside Forward Operating Base Hanson, Marjah, Afghanistan, April 30, 2011. The security patrol was done in order for Marines to inspect the well being of a nearby village. Phillips is with Guard Force, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alberto B. Vazquez/Released)
Dried out opium poppy plants occupy a field at Khan Neshin, Afghanistan, May 27, 2011. Afghan farmers harvest the scorn poppy bulbs from the plant to produce opium paste. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Charles T. Mabry II/Released)
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. James K. Peters stands in an opium poppy field while performing a foot patrol at Sangin, Afghanistan, May 19, 2011. Peters and his fellow Marines assigned to Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 8, are familiarizing the battalion?s commander with their area of operation during the patrol. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jeremy C. Harris/Released)
A U.S. Marine displays a poppy flower after its been scored as Marines conduct a security patrol outside Forward Operating Base Hanson, Marjah, Afghanistan, April 30, 2011. The security patrol was done in order for Marines to inspect the well being of a nearby village. The Marines are with Guard Force, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alberto B. Vazquez/Released)
Dried, scored poppies remain after the harvest season as U.S. Marines with 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1 conduct a patrol outside Combat Outpost (COP) Huskers in Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 22, 2011. The Marines patrolled outside the COP in order to maintain security and talk with villagers. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Loren P. Molumby/Released)
Poppy fields of the Maiwand District, taken May 2.
U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Mathew J. Gilabriest speaks with a villager as Marines conduct a security patrol outside Forward Operating Base Hanson, Marjah, Afghanistan, April 30, 2011. The security patrol was done in order for Marines to inspect the well being of a nearby village. Gilabriest is with Guard Force, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alberto B. Vazquez/Released)
The sun rises over a poppy field during a clearing operation conducted by Afghan Commandos with the Afghan National Army’s 3rd Commando Kandak in Maiwand District, May 1, Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The commandos, joined by Navy SEALs team members with Special Operations Task Force South and members of the Afghan National Civil Order Police, destroyed an IED and recovered IED making materials and a weapons cache during the operation.
An Afghan commando with the Afghan National Army’s 3rd Commando Kandak scans the surrounding area for enemy activity during a clearing operation in Maiwand District, May 1, Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The commandos, joined by Navy SEALs team members with Special Operations Task Force – South and members of the Afghan National Civil Order Police, destroyed an IED and recovered IED making materials and a weapons cache during the operation.
A field of scored poppies, as seen during a clearing operation conducted by Afghan commandos with the Afghan National Army’s 3rd Commando Kandak in Maiwand district, May 1, Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Poppy is cultivated and harvested for its powerful medicinal properties.
PATROL BASE SHARK, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – A Marine with 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, greets local children working in the farmlands near the base. The high-five exchanged is a symbol of the positive relationship the Marines have built with the local population.
In this photo provided by ISAF Regional Command – South, during Operation Spartan Strike, 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Thursday, April 21, cleared houses and questioned residents about Taliban activities and locations of weapons cashes in Zharay District, Afghanistan.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Eric Stump (3rd from left), a squad leader with with 1st Platoon, Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, and his U.S. Marines discuss their route through a poppy field during a security patrol from their patrol base in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nahr-e Saraj canal, April 13. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Antonio Wilccoxen, an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon gunner, and fellow U.S. Marines with 1st Platoon, Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, walk through a poppy field during a security patrol from their patrol base in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nar-e Saraj canal, March 31. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
An Afghan boy watches Marines with Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 10th Marines, Regimental Combat Team-8, patrol a poppy field near the Kajaki green zone in Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 19. During daily patrols over the last several months Bravo Battery Marines have come to know the local kids as both a sign of familiarity and safety.
Marines with Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 10th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 8, patrol through a poppy field in the Kajaki green zone, Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 19. An artillery unit by doctrine, Bravo Battery has served as a provisional infantry rifle company for the last several months while protecting the area around the Kajaki Dam.
U.S. Marines with 1st Platoon, Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, return to base through a poppy field after a security patrol from their patrol base in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nahr-e Saraj canal, April 13. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Mark Bower (right), a 60mm mortarman, and U.S. Marines with 1st Platoon, Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, provide security for another element at the edge of a poppy field during a security patrol from their patrol base in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nahr-e Saraj canal, April 13, 2011. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
U.S. Marines Lance Cpl. Zachary Mizasawa, top, an M249 squad automatic weapon gunner, and Lance Cpl. Kevin Gonzalezsierra, a rifleman, both with 1st Platoon, Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, hold in place while a group of Afghan boys tend poppy crops during a security patrol from their patrol base in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nahr-e Saraj canal, April 7, 2011. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
U.S. Navy Seaman Jeremy Threatte, a corpsman , and U.S. Marines with 2nd Platoon, Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, pause at the edge of a poppy field during a security patrol from their patrol base in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nahr-e Saraj canal, April 5, 2011. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
U.S. Navy Hospitalman Chris Coughlin, a corpsman with 1st Platoon, Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, pauses in a poppy field during a security patrol from their patrol base in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nar-e Saraj canal, April 1. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
An Afghan farmer fertilizes his poppy field near the patrol base of U.S. Marine Corps Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nahr-e Saraj canal, March 27. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Timothy Brown, a team leader with 1st Platoon, Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, passes word to his patrol members in a poppy field during a security patrol from their patrol base in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nar-e Saraj canal, April 1. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Tyler Ivy, hospital corpsman, attached to 1st Platoon, Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, pauses during a security patrol through a poppy field from their patrol base in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nahr-e Saraj canal, March 27. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Clay Sherrod, an M249 squad automatic weapon gunner with Sniper Platoon attached to Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, conducts a security patrol through a poppy field in the early morning haze from their patrol base in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nar-e Saraj canal, April 1. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
An Aghan boy working in a poppy field watches as U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Mark Bower, a 60mm mortarman with 1st Platoon, Company I, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, Regimental Combat Team 8, crosses a ditch during a security patrol from their patrol base in Helmand province’s Green Zone, west of the Nahr-e Saraj canal, April 13. Elements of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to Afghanistan to provide regional security in Helmand province in support of the International Security Assistance Force.
An Afghan National Army soldier accompanies a squad of Marines with Company B, 1st Tank Battalion, during a mission April 9. Tankers had to learn a whole new skill set in order to be successful during their seven-month tour in Afghanistan.
An Afghan child helps Cpl. Anthony J. Chavez, an Albuquerque, N.M., native, and a provisional rifleman with Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 10th Marines, Regimental Combat Team-8, stop to smell the flowers during a patrol halt in the Kajaki green zone, Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 19.
MARJAH, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – Corporal Mark Hickok, a 23-year-old combat engineer from North Olmstead, Ohio, patrols through a field during a clearing mission April 9. Marines with Company B, 1st Tank Battalion, learned basic route clearance techniques from engineers like Hickok, who are deployed with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion.
Captain Julian Hohnen, Officer Commanding a combined Australian and Afghan Army patrol base in the Baluchi Valley Region mentors Afghan National Army Officer, Lieutenant Farhad Habib. Mid Caption: All across the MTF1 area of operations partnered mentoring is being conducted on mounted and dismounted combined patrols with ever increasing security presence being experienced by local communities from the Southern Baluchi Valley to the Northern Chora reaches as well as east through the Mirabad. Ongoing combined ANA and MTF1 security operations involving infantry, combat engineer and reconnaissance capabilities in Oruzgan have achieved multiple layers of effects including an increased rate of IED find and render safe percentages, increased cache finds, and enhanced trust fostered within local communities. Deep Caption: Operation SLIPPER is Australia’s military contribution to the international campaign against terrorism, piracy and improving maritime security. Under this operation our forces contribute to the efforts of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) – led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. ISAF seeks to bring security, stability and prosperity to Afghanistan and aims to prevent Afghanistan again becoming a safe haven for international terrorists. Operation SLIPPER also supports the United States led International Coalition Against Terrorism (ICAT) in the broader Middle East.
U.S. Marines assigned to the female engagement team (FET) of I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) conduct a patrol alongside a poppy field while visiting Afghan settlements in Boldak, Afghanistan, April 5, 2010. The FET, which is deployed in support of the International Security Assistance Force, is in the area to engage with local women in an effort to gain cultural awareness and ascertain family needs. (DoD photo by Cpl. Lindsay L. Sayres, U.S. Marine Corps/Released)
An Afghan poppy farmer watches an AH-1W Cobra helicopter fly over his field in Farah province, Afghanistan, March 8, 2009. The Cobras are providing overwatch protection for Afghan National Police officers and U.S. Marines with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment as they conduct a cordon and search in a small village. The Cobras are part of the Air Command Element for the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force-Afghanistan which is rooting out Taliban and insurgent fighters and providing security for the Afghan people. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Chief Warrant Offficer Philippe Chasse/Released)
An Afghani farmer stands in the middle of his poppy field in Delaram, Afghanistan, watching U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment Combat Train conduct a resupply convoy down Highway 515, from Delaram to Bakwa, Afghanistan, March 25, 2009. The Iraqi government is working to eradicate poppy cultivation throughout the country to improve the health, security and development of Afghanistan. Alternative livelihoods for farmers are being planned and implemented. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Chief Warrant Officer Philippe Chasse/Released)
DIZAK, Afghanistan – ARSIC-W’s Commander’s Emergency Response Program Manager U.S. Navy Lieutenant David Williams from San Diego, Calif., checks out a villager’s poppy crop after being informed the profit for poppy was 40% greater than the profit for growing wheat in the area. Williams visited Dizak to gather information on their needs the same day the Afghan National Police and ARSIC-W Civil Affairs Team delivered humanitarian aid to the village. He plans to use CERP funds to assist the villagers in the future. ISAF Photo by US Navy Mass Communications Specialist Petty Officer 1st Class Monica R. Nelson
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Burton Shields, commander of 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, and his interpreter Ali Mohamed discover a pile of dried poppy plants in Badula Qulp, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Feb. 12, 2010. The Soldiers are participating in Operation Helmand Spider. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez/Released)
Dried Poppy plants are photographed July 15, 2009, as Afghan National Army soldiers and U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment conduct a civil affairs patrol in the Nawa District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 3, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade – Afghanistan, are deployed in support of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. James Purschwitz/Released)
A Police Mentoring Team and members of the Afghan national police patrol through a poppy field near Combat Outpost Castle, Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 29. PMT routinely patrol the area searching for improvised explosive devises, looking for Taliban influence, and interacting with the local populace while mentoring the ANP.
Afghan farmers grow poppies outside the Salaam Bazaar in Now Zad, Afghanistan, April 14, 2010. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew P. Troyer/Released)
Afghan farmers walk the fields and check their poppy plants as poppy season nears in Now Zad, Afghanistan, April 14, 2010. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew P. Troyer/Released)
Afghan children sit outside a poppy field in Now Zad, Afghanistan, April 14, 2010. The children played together while older family members worked the poppy fields. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew P. Troyer/Released)
