Quoteboard

Some quotes from locals in Helmand, where allies are in the midst of Operation Achilles, the first major offensive of the season. The deputy governor of Helmand has announced plans to eradicate fully half of Helmand's poppy crop this year.

"No has destroyed my poppy and no one will be able to destroy it...We are not paying the Taleban, but they tell us, 'As long as we are here, no one can destroy your poppy'."

        - Hamidullah, a farmer in Musa Qala, Helmand

"I am a small-scale smuggler...I just buy poppy from farmers and sell it to bigger drug traffickers....We don't have a problem with the Taleban...if we give them money, we give by choice, like the zakat. People support the Taleban. Why shouldn't they?" 

        - Rahmatullah, local smuggler in Helmand  

 

Comments

[tu3carat]

there are only a few media resources on afghanistan. many western (including this one) are biased. they even shun public views that support neither of the warring parties.

[Carl Robichaud]

This is a good point: there are plenty of people who don't favor either side and just want to go about their lives. Reporters pick people who hold stronger views because it makes for better stories, and we should bear in mind the effect this bias exerts.