Afghan and US forces gearing up for a major offensive in Helmand province, near Marjah dropped leaflets warning people not to give shelter to the Taliban. Marjah is surrounded by fertile land where poppies grow easily, and the Afghan government’s limited presence allows the drug trade to flourish. The production of opium helps finance the Taliban. ** Hayden’s Note: The problem is, we aren’t eradicating the poppy fields. We are seizing them and have become the largest drug cartel in the world!

The Afghan minister of counter narcotics says foreign troops are earning money from drug production in Afghanistan. He went on to say that NATO forces are taxing the production of opium in the regions under their control. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Ahmad Wali Karzai, a brother of the Afghan president, is involved in the opium trade, meets with Taliban leaders, and is also a CIA operative.