G8 foreign ministers said in a joint statement that they were "firmly committed" to supporting Afghanistan and Pakistan. Photo AFPUS Announces Big Shift In Afghanistan Drug Policy -- Yahoo News/AP
TRIESTE, Italy – The United States is phasing out funding for opium eradication programs in poppy-filled Afghanistan while significantly boosting funding for alternate crop and drug interdiction efforts, the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The aim of the new policy: to deprive the Taliban of the tens of millions of dollars in drug revenues that are fueling its insurgency while promoting viable crop alternatives for Afghan farmers and cracking down on the illicit cross-border heroin trade.
The U.S. envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, told the AP that the U.S. eradication programs were only driving Afghan farmers into the hands of the Taliban.
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More News On The Changing Of Afghan Drug Policies
US changes tack on Afghan poppies -- BBC
US announces big shift in Afghanistan drug policy -- The Guardian
New Course for Antidrug Efforts in Afghanistan -- New York Times
U.S. reverses Afghan drug policy, eyes August vote -- Reuters
U.S. Reverses Poppy Policy in Afghanistan, G-8 Ministers Told -- Bloomberg