US sends 10,000 troops to an Afghan opium hub

[joeblow]

US sends 10,000 troops to an Afghan opium hub
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:08:23 GMT


US Marines pose for a photograph in Nijrab district of Kapisa province, north of Kabul.

A new wave of US troops has arrived in Helmand, an opium-growing southern province where the foreign troops in Afghanistan have lost several grounds to the Taliban in recent months.

According to the US Army, the troops are tasked with improving the order ahead of the August 20 presidential vote as well as fighting the insurgents with widespread power in the province.

NATO figures suggest that insurgency has reached record highs in southern Afghanistan, where British and Danish troops are trying to make an impact.

In Helmand, more than 8,000 British troops are facing a bloody campaign launched by the militants. The province produces much of the heroin that funds the Taliban.

As part of his new strategy for Afghanistan, US President Barack Obama has pledged to station 17,000 extra troops and 4,000 military trainers in the country.

The US invaded the country in 2001 to destroy Taliban and al-Qaeda.

JR/SC/MD