The United States-led counternarcotics effort in Afghanistan, which is critical to hopes of cutting off the flow of money to the Taliban and curtailing rampant corruption in the central government, lacks a long-term strategy, clear objectives and a plan for handing over responsibility to Afghans, the State Department inspector general said in a report issued Wednesday. "The department has not clarified an end state for counternarcotics efforts, engaged in long-term planning, or established performance measures," said the 63-page report, an audit of work done by the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Among other things, the report found that the military and civilian lacked clear delineation of roles; that civilian contracts for counternarcotics work were poorly written and supervised from thousands of miles and many time zones away; and that the United States embassies in Afghanistan and Pakistan did not coordinate well on the problem. The effectiveness of drug-control efforts is critical to President Obama plan for the Afghanistan war, which entails sending additional troops to Afghanistan.
"The department has not clarified an end state for counternarcotics efforts, engaged in long-term planning, or established performance measures," said the 63-page report, an audit of work done by the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
Among other things, the report found that the military and civilian lacked clear delineation of roles; that civilian contracts for counternarcotics work were poorly written and supervised from thousands of miles and many time zones away; and that the United States embassies in Afghanistan and Pakistan did not coordinate well on the problem.
The effectiveness of drug-control efforts is critical to President Obama plan for the Afghanistan war, which entails sending additional troops to Afghanistan.
Every part of the policy is stupid and ill-conceived. The worst of it is that an entire country and the lives of its population are being wrecked due to acts of ignorance and cowardice by leaders far far away more concerned with saving face and jockeying for grace than preserving lives. keep to the Fen Causeway
