THE NEW KILLING FIELDS ?
THE NEW KILLING FIELDS ?

Summary/Abstract: The author argues that the main way to fight the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is through cutting off their drugs money. However, she writes that these vast criminal profits do not only come from drugs. Afghanistan and Pakistan anti-state groups appear to expend a significant amount of their daily energy engaging in criminal fund-raising techniques. In this respect, she mentions opium trade, drug markets, kidnapping, timber smuggling, human trafficking, bank robbery etc. Then, she mentions that a key question western intelligence forces need to be asking is what the Taliban leadership intends to do with the vast profits it earns from the drugs trade and other crime. Finally, she concludes that degrading the enemy’s source of funding, while simultaneously improving governance, are critical pillars to any counterinsurgency campaign, and Afghanistan and Pakistan will be no exception.

• Details
• Contents