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| Afghanistan |
| StrategyPage: Afghan Drug Lords Bring in Professional Trainers |
| 2006-10-03 |
| Persistent, and frequent rumors, in Afghanistan indicate that some of the drug lords are hiring European mercenaries to provide military training for their armed followers. Some of the drug lords have thousands of gunmen on the payroll. But these tribal warriors are traditionally brave, but unreliable, and often inept in combat. Perhaps noting how U.S. and European trainers had turned thousands of Afghan soldiers into pretty efficient troops, the warlords are apparently trying to do the same. While the drug lords have plenty of money for all the latest weapons and gadgets, it's all for naught if the fellow handling the stuff does not have the necessary skills, or his wits about him. The drug lords have been importing all manner of experts, including some skilled in electronics, agriculture and chemistry. This in addition to a large variety of goods, which enables the drug kingpins to fit out quite luxurious, by any standards, compounds (they look like forts, with satellite dishes). |
| Posted by:ed |
| #7 I googled War on drugs and found this: Over 100 Years of National Drug Related Headlines |
| Posted by: SwissTex 2006-10-03 15:33 |
| #6 This story is number 113,328 in the series, "Failures in the War on Drugs." |
| Posted by: Perfesser 2006-10-03 14:26 |
| #5 Guided bombs tracking in on the uplink signal. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2006-10-03 13:01 |
| #4 At least Europe finally did find some extra troops for Afghanistan. |
| Posted by: ed 2006-10-03 09:12 |
| #3 Or efficient troops. This new computer seems to have a bit of a spelling problem, which is what happens when one buys the loss leader of the week, apparently. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-10-03 09:09 |
| #2 Effient troops need a leadership cadre that's bought into the concept as well, surely? What odds the kind of people who'd work for a drug lord are going to be able to grasp the key points being taught? Separately, any chance these mercenary instructors have been sprinkled with nano-particle pixie dust for tracking purposes? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-10-03 09:07 |
| #1 "forts, with satellite dishes" Can we override their satellite signal with around-the-clock transmissions of The Partridge Family? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2006-10-03 08:39 |