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Blair's reason for war in Afghanistan collapses as opium production reaches its highest ever levels
Blair's reason for war in Afghanistan collapses as opium production in the country reaches its highest ever levels ahead of NATO troops' withdrawal
By Simon Tomlinson
Afghanistan's opium production surged to record levels this year - making a mockery of Tony Blair's key argument for invading the country.
Cutting the supply of heroin, which is made from opium, was one of the main reasons given by then-prime minister Mr Blair in 2001 for sending in British troops.
But despite international efforts over the past decade to wean the country off the narcotics trade, the May harvest of opium was 49 per cent higher than last year.
That month alone produced a staggering 6,060 tons of the drug, more than the combined output of the rest of the world, according to a U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2505619/Opium-production-Afghanistan-reaches-highest-levels-ahead-NATO-troops-withdrawal.html