Nexus - 1706 - New Times Magazine-pages

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The Global Drug Trade and the CIA Hekmatyar became Afghanistan's leading Mujahideen As a central facet of the covert financing and training —_ drug lord and developed a "complex of six heroin labs in of the Afghan Mujahideen, the role of the drug trade _ an [SI-controlled area of Baluchistan (Pakistan)".” became invaluable. The global drug trade has long The US subsequently through the 1980s, in been used by empires for fuelling and financing conflict conjunction with Saudi Arabia, gave Hekmatyar more with the aim of facilitating imperial domination. than USS] billion in armaments. Immediately, heroin It was during the 1980s that "the CIA's covert war in began flowing from Afghanistan to America. By 1980, Afghanistan transformed Central Asia from a self- drug-related deaths in New York City rose 77 per cent contained opium zone into a major supplier of heroin since 1979. or the world market". "Until the late 1970s, tribal By 1981, the drug lords in Pakistan and Afghanistan armers in the highlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan — supplied 60 per cent of America's heroin. Trucks going grew limited quantities of opium and sold it to into Afghanistan with CIA arms from Pakistan would merchant caravans bound west for Iran and east to return with heroin "protected by ISI papers from police ndia. In its decade of covert warfare against the Soviet — search”.*! occupation of Afghanistan, the CIA Haq, the CIA asset in Pakistan, "was with its] operations provided the also running the drug trade", of which political protection and logistics the bank BCCI "was completely inkages that joined Afghanistan's involved". In the 1980s, the CIA poppy Telds to heroin markets in By 1981, the drug insisted that the ot create 2 special Europe and America. . cell for the use of heroin for cover In 1977, General Zia-ul-Haq lords...supplied actions". "This cell promoted the launched a military coup in Pakistan, 60 per cent of cultivation of opium and t e imposed a harsh martial-law regime a . extraction of heroin in Pakistani and executed former President America's heroin. territory as well as in the Afghan aor A puts (ete Benz’ Trucks going into | 0 ns tye cnt he Pakistani ISI was a “minor military Afghanistan with areas in order to make the Soviet intelli it" but, der th t h i dicts."° Thi | “advice and assistance of the ° CIA arms from ee pparently originated at the CIA", General Zia transformed Pakistan would suggestion of French intelligence he ISI "into a powerful covert . . chief and Safari Club founder unit and made it the strong arm return with heroin Alexandre de Marenches, who of his martial-law regime".* "protected by ISI recommended it to CIA Director The CIA and Saudi money f Casey.” lowed not only to weapons and papers rom In the 1980s, one program raining for the Mujahideen but police search". undertaken by the United States was to finance Mujahideen propaganda in textbooks for Afghan schools. The US gave the Mujahideen $43 million in "non- Pakistan's North-West Frontier lethal" aid for the textbook project Province (NWFP) who would alone, which was given by USAID. "consult with Brzezinski on developing an Afghan "The US Agency for International Development, USAID, resistance program" and who would become a CIA asset. coordinated its work with the CIA, which ran the When CIA Director Casey or Vice President George H. W. weapons program" and "(t]he US government told the Bush reviewed the CIA Afghan operation, they went to AID to let the Afghan war chiefs decide the school see Haq, who by 1982 was considered by Interpol to be — curriculum and the content of the textbooks". The an international narcotics trafficker. Haq moved much _ textbooks were "filled with violent images and militant of the narcotics money through the BCCI.” Islamic teachings” and "filled with talk of jihad and In May 1979, prior to the December invasion of the _ featured drawings of guns, bullets, soldiers and mines". Soviet Union into Afghanistan, a CIA envoy met with Since the covert war of the 1980s, the textbooks "have Afghan resistance leaders in a meeting organised by the __ served...as the Afghan school system's core curriculum. ISI. The ISI "offered the CIA envoy an alliance with its | Even the Taliban used the American-produced books". own Afghan client, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar", who led a —_‘ The books were developed through a USAID grant to the small guerrilla group. The CIA accepted, and over the "University of Nebraska-Omaha and its Center for following decade half of the CIA's aid went to Afghanistan Studies" and, when the books were Hekmatyar's guerrillas. smuggled into Afghanistan through regional military also into the drug trade. Pakistani President Zia-ul-Haq appointed General Fazle Haq as e military governor of Hekmatyar became Afghanistan's leading Mujahideen drug lord and developed a "complex of six heroin labs in an ISI-controlled area of Baluchistan (Pakistan)".” The US subsequently through the 1980s, in conjunction with Saudi Arabia, gave Hekmatyar more than USS] billion in armaments. Immediately, heroin began flowing from Afghanistan to America. By 1980, drug-related deaths in New York City rose 77 per cent since 1979.° By 1981, the drug lords in Pakistan and Afghanistan supplied 60 per cent of America's heroin. Trucks going into Afghanistan with CIA arms from Pakistan would return with heroin "protected by ISI papers from police search" .“! By 1981, the drug lords...supplied 60 per cent of America's heroin. Trucks going into Afghanistan with CIA arms from : papers from police search". 14 * NEXUS Pakistan would return with heroin "protected by ISI OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2010 www.nexusmagazine.com