{"id":29721,"date":"2018-04-10T17:56:48","date_gmt":"2018-04-10T17:56:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/10\/airstrikes-against-taliban-drug-labs-extend-to-western-afghanistan\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:06:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:06:00","slug":"airstrikes-against-taliban-drug-labs-extend-to-western-afghanistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/04\/10\/airstrikes-against-taliban-drug-labs-extend-to-western-afghanistan\/","title":{"rendered":"US airstrikes against Taliban drug labs extend to western Afghanistan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In what could be a sign of the campaign\u2019s success, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan<\/a> recently announced that its efforts to stem Taliban financing by bombing narcotics facilities<\/a> has expanded beyond southern Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the U.S. airstrikes<\/a> previously focused on the poppy-rich province of Helmand, in the south of the country. But last week, 11 Taliban narcotics production facilities were struck in Farah<\/a> and Nimroz<\/a> provinces, located in the country\u2019s western portion, according to a press statement from U.S. Forces-Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strikes were carried out by U.S. forces flying F-16s, A-10s and MQ-9s, and were the first to occur in western Afghanistan against Taliban revenue streams<\/a> since the drug lab bombing campaign began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese efforts have deprived the Taliban of an estimated $200 million in revenue and have demonstrated that Afghan and U.S. forces can strike Taliban-associated narcotics production operations no matter where they are,\u201d Army Col. Lisa Garcia, Resolute Support spokeswoman, told Military Times.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. military officials maintain that narcotics production is the Taliban\u2019s primary means of funding its insurgency, although some experts have questioned how much the bombing of drug labs is actually impacting the terror group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Taliban will have no safe havens. We will continue to exploit their networks and decimate their ability to develop narcotics,” said Maj. Gen. James Hecker, commander, 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan. “They have become a criminal organization that profits from selling drugs and using those funds to conduct operations that maim and kill Afghans. By cutting off the Taliban\u2019s economic lifelines, we also reduce their ability to continue these terrorist activities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t