Country Battles Terrorism, Poverty, Human Rights abuse and Now Wages War on Drugs

Afghanistan is the world's leading supplier of opium, the drug derived from a certain kind of poppy plant that is used to produce Heroin. Almost 10% of the Afghan population regularly uses opium or a derivative. One million Afghans between the ages of 15-64 are addicted to drugs.This figure has risen dramatically over the past few years. 

Afghan man smokes opium, a powerful narcotic drug

Afghanistan has been blanketed by poverty and that hardships it brings for many years. Because of the difficulty of day to day living many citizens seek escape, often this escape comes in the form of a cloud of smoke or an intravenous injection. The prevelance of drug addiction is astounding and due to the increase in IV users in many of the big cities the AIDS virus has also been on the rise. Beceause of the lack of medical care and the inability to pay for expensive drugs, Afghan citizens have no help to get off these highly addictive drugs.

Drug abuse runs rampant throughout the U.S., however in most cases individuals who seek help can usually recieve it, whether it is a drug that curbs cravings or a treatment facility, there are options for those who desire sobriety. Unfortunately in Afghanistan this is not the case. Dr. Zemaray Amin from the Medecins du Monde (MDM) health group says that due to lack of access to social programs and addiction counseling, those addicted to these drugs have no options. An international health group concerned with the increase in drug addiction worldwide has started a program in Afghanistan that hands out methadone to willing addicts. Methadone is a synthetic perscription drug mainly used to treat heroin addiction. Methadone works on the same receptos as morphine, blocking the desire for users to get high. Hopefully with the introduction of more methadone programs Afghan civilians will at least have the option to get off drugs.







Because Afghanistan exports and produces 90% of the world's opium, the issue of drugs in the country is not simply one of abuse and addiction, rather it is entangled in the web of government corruption and terrorism. Members of extremeist terrorist sects are often the ones controlling and growing the opium supply. Often these individuals have strong links to the Taliban and even sometimes government officials. These drug lords employ Afghan civilians to farm the opium crops, paying them little in comparision to the profit they rake in. American soliders have had the daunting tasks of finding the opium fields and setting fire to the plants, destroying tens of thousands of dollars worth of heroin producing plants. Similar to the situation in Mexico, the individuals at the helm of these large, million dollar drug rings terrorize civilians and create havoc.

Many women who suffer abuse at the hands of their husbands and male family members seek escape through drug use

Some Afghan Culture

Not everything about the country of Afghanistan is corrupt, evil and disheartening. Afghanistan is a country with a rich past and many unique cultural traditions.

Usually everything I post on this blog is in some way related to war, death, dying or blood. I decided to use this opportunity to blog about some aspects of this region that do not involve any of the above.

Some interesting Afghan superstitions

• If your foot touches or hits another person's foot, you will get into a fight with that person, unless you shake hands right away
• If a boy chews gum, his beard will grow uneven
• It's not good to let someone compliment your child or other loved one too much, because they may become jinxed and bad luck may fall on them ( This is called "Nazar"-ing a child). For example, if you say a child is beautiful, the child may become sick. You can ward this off by either saying "Nazar Nakona", or by reciting a surah from the Quran

Afghan food is very unique and embodies a very specific culinary style. 

Salaata is an Afghan salad made with cucumbers, tomato, yellow onion, cilantro, lemon and radishes.

Dogh is a blended yogurt drink, famous in the region.



Bolaanee is a traditional Afghan appetizer that consists of spiced and salted leeks or potatoes wrapped in an egg roll wrapper.

Although we often think of Afghanistan as a desert region where water is scarce and camels are abundant, the weather for this week is not unlike our Spring weather. The forecast for the coming week in Kabul consists of highs in the low 70s during the day and lows in the 40s during the night.

Traditional cloth contains beautiful pigments and patterns.

Traidtional clothing

Afghan dress

Has anyone ever heard of Buzkashi? Probably not, it is the official sport of Afghanistan and involves a decapitated goat carcass. Sound interesting?

The game is a symbol of Afghani culture and its roots date back hundreds of years. The game begins with a dead goat, headless dead goat, in the middle of the designated playing field. The object of the game is to capture the dead goat, on horseback mind you, and bring it to the scoring area. Two teams compete in this fiercely competitive and oftentimes dangerous sport.

The most popular name for a baby, boy or girl, in Afghanistan in 2011 Namir (swift cat)

Zalmai is the most popular name for a boy, it means young

Muna is the most popular girl name, it means may the lord be with you.



1 US dollar = 45 Afghanis



Terry Jones-Idiot who fuels more hate for Americans among the Muslim communities

-2010 September 11th-Florida preacher Terry Jones sparks international outrage after declaring Burn the Koran Day. Jones outrages Muslims worldwide after posting facebook messages incouraging individuals to set fire to the Islamic holy book.





Terry Jones Pastor at Dove Outreach Center in Gainsville FL. thought of the brillant idea to insult Muslims around the world by burning the Koran.



-General David Petraus indicated that he believed the Koran burning was a disasterous idea that could lead to severe consequences for those Americans serving in Afghanistan.
-March 20th, 2011 the Dove Outreach Center- Gainsville Florida. A copy of the Muslim holy book, the Koran, was bured.
-March 24th 2011-Afghan President Hamid Karzai spoke publicly concerning the Koran burning that took place four days earlier in FL. Karzai called the act a desecration.
-Saturday, March 26th, 2011. Kandahar Aghanistan. Protesters marched through the streets of the country's largest provincel, holding long sticks and carrying copies of the Koran over their heads. Gunfire erupted overhead and thick black smoke blanketed the air.
-Following the protest march turned riot, a government spokesperson declared the deaths of nine protesters. 81 others were injured.
-"Some wicked and destructive people placed themselves amongst the protesters and started rioting throughout the entire Kandahar city," the governor's office said. "The enemies of the people and country also burned down the furniture and a bus at a ladies' high school in Kandahar and destroyed some other properties."
-The protests that began Friday incited thousands of Afghanis across the region in Kabul, Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif.
-Seven foreign UN workers were killed at the UN compound as a result of the unrest.
-A UN spokesman said that the UN had no plans on pulling out of the devestated country. He said that the UN would remain because the Afghani people are still in need of aid.
-Hamid Karzai sent his condolences to the families of the those UN workers that were slain.
-Saturday-A Taliban spokesman sent a text message to the AP denying Taliban involvment in the murders.
-Wayne Sapp, pastor at the Dove Outreach Center in FL who participated and coordinated the burning of the Koran on March 20th reported that he felt sorry for those killed, but did not see that the deaths or riots were the fault of the parishoners."I in no way feel like our church is responsible for what happened."
-Afghan officals believe that insurgents somehow melded with the throngs of protesters outside the UN compound and detonated explosives.

Protests in Libya, Bahrain, Iran, Syria, Tunsinia and Egypt all resulted from people desiring freedom. Although there have not been political uprisings in Afghanistan that resemble those in many Middle Eastern nations, the unbelievably stupid actions of one ignorant moron have lead to thousands taking to the streets. Hopefully Mr. Jones and Mr. Sapp are capable of single handedly defending our country from Islamic extremeists and even average Muslim followers, because they certainly should have to.




US soliders stand guard at a US base in Afghanistan following an attack on April 2nd at a UN compound that killed seven foreign aid workers.



There is a path to the top of highest mountain.

(Where there is a will there is a way)

~ Afghan Proverb ~

The major problems facing the country of Afghanistan today are multi faceted. Obviously one of the biggest problems deals with the issue of human rights. Not only are the majority of citizens in this resource rich country living below the poverty line, the reputation of the treatment of women especailly is far under par. With the highest infant mortality rate in the world, 150 out of 1000, and a life expectancy of just 44 years, this country faces many obstacles on the way to correcting these egregious statistics. Another problems facing Afghanistan is the instability. Not only has Afghanistan been destroyed by conflict economically, socially and politically, it continues to face roadblocks in the form of terroist organizations, religous and ethnic conflicts. Although Afghanistan had its first democratic election in 2004, allegations swirled around the election of Hamid Karzai by a 50% margin. Allegations of corruption, voting fraud among other things created a hostile air. Karzai has been president of this desolate land for seven years. Karzai has two vice presidents, first Mohammad FAHIM Khan; second. The government of Afghanistan is an Islamic Republic. Many of the features the Afghans use appear similar to our own democratic republic. They use a fair and free elections. Presidents are elected to a five year term with an option to be reelected once. The president appoints some 20 individuals to his cabinent. The legislative branch is comprised of a bicameral National Assembly consists of the Meshrano Jirga or House of elders and the Wolesi Jirga or House of People. The Afghani government also has a judicil branch, with nine supreme court justices. These juctices are appointed by the president with approval from the Meshrano Jirga. The amount of political parties in Afghanistan is quite surprising. There are well over thirty different political parties in this desomated country. Hopefully with these competeing parties comes hope of change and progress.

The Constituion in Afghanistan, which has been revised and edited over five times, is very interesting to read. It clearly states the importance of Islam to the country and implys that religous undertones exist in all facets, throughout the country. Article 22 of the current Afghan constituion is especailly interesting. It states, similarly to ours, that every Afghani civilan is equal and should be treated as equal, including women. The reputation in this southeast Asain country is so pathetic in the area of women's rights, yet it still states, in the constitution that a woman's rights will be equal to a mans.

Although President Karzai is not a perfect leader, rumor continue to circulate about government mis spending, financail allegations plague his adminstartion as do allegations of corruption and voting fraud, he has stablized the country slightly in the past few years. Karzai also far exceeds the likes of a Taliban or Islamic Extremeist ruler. 

Afghanistan is country rich in natural resources, including but not limited to, oil, copper and talc. It needs the investments of foreign investors who are not afraid to put there money into the rivitalization of Afghanistan. The average child in Afghanistan only goes to school until they are nine years old. That is the third grade. How can a country, with the greatest percentage of its population in its teens and early 20s, be successfull when its youth have the education of a third grader? When the American and NATO troops finally do pull out of the desert, what will happen?

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai



Thousands Killed-Deadly Year in Afghanistan



The bombing of a bank in Kabul in February killed many



News reports released this month find 2010 to be the deadliest year to date in war plagued Afghanistan. The civilian death toll reached an alarming rate, the UN claims 2777 Afghan people, mainly women and children, were victims of  violence that blankets the region. The UN claims that anti government elements were responsible for 2080 deaths, which is 75% of the civilian deaths in the past year. This statistic has been on the rise since the war began in 2001. The second greatest cause of civilian casualties has been cited as suicide attacks and IED explosions. The UN states in a report that 462 Afghan people were killed by fringe, anti-government extremists, most likely linked to terrorist cells such as Al-Quieda and the Taliban. This upward trend has risen 105% in the last two years. Most of these killings have occurred in the Southern Providences of Afghanistan, Helmand and Kandahar. The Afghan government in coalition with the UN want to regulate the killing of civilians by anti-government extremists. These organizations wish to create laws that will restrict the ability of these groups to murder innocent people. The government in Afghanistan is considering designating a separate body of officials dedicated to stopping these murders and attacks. This group would have power to respond to these crises.

The UN and other organizations are calling for troop withdrawal by 2014, all foreign troops now stationed in the country and maintaining security will hand control over the Afghan security personnel. This transition will prove very telling for the Afghan people and the future of the country. Many Afghan people do not like the army forces in their country, just last week an air strike lead to the death of nine small children. Commonly civilians are mistakenly killed in the crossfire between military and insurgent groups.



The death toll in 2010 rose steadily to the highest yet. Insurgents mostly to blame for wide spread violence.



Afghanistan human rights

I became very interested in the Middle East, especially Afghanistan, after reading Khaled Hosseini's "1000 Splendid Suns" and "The Kite Runner". Both these riveting novels reveal the atrocities committed against those  deemed less equal because of their ancestory and ethnicity as well as the inhumane treatment of women. Afghanistan is the deadliest country to be born in. The strict rules of the extremeist Islamic followers condemn women to a life of torment and abuse. RAWA, Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, is an  organization founded in the late 1970s aimed to help establish more rights for women and curb the violence against women taking place in Afghanistan. The organization, founded by an Afghan woman who was assassinated by members of the KGB working with extremist forces, aimed to raise awareness internationally concerning the plight of these women.

In the past nine months over 4,000 documented cases of violence have occured against Afghan women. Oftentimes these cases go undocumented because perpetraters are not punished, and if they are they are given a meager slip on the wrist. Most of the violent cases against women have occured in the country's biggest city Kabul. Oftentimes women are beaten, stoned, set on fire or murdered by those closest to them. In Afghanistan women are forced into marriage some at the mere age of 13. Men in villages sell their daughters for bags of opium to men their same age. Due to cultural, traditional and religious ideals women are not viewed as equals. They are not afforded the same opportunities as men and are often afforded less rights than animals are in America.The horror stories that come out of this desert land are not tales from stories or movies, they are real, reality for the women that exist in Afghanistan.


Self harm, mutiliation and suicide combine to form a rising trend in this Middle Eastern nation. Many women would rather die than suffer daily abuse at the hands of male family members or husbands. Often women who see no end to their suffering set themselves on fire, a practice not understood by many. An article published in the New York Times by Alissa Rubin relates the story of a 20 year old woman who doused herself in gasoline and set herself on fire to escape the habitual torment she faced at the hands of her opium addicted husband. The young woman was married at 13 and was forced to care for an older man who perpetually beat and raped her. Burning to death seems such an excrutiating and terrible way to die, but for many women they do not know another way out. Often they feel that if they are weak, hurt and scarred maybe someone in their family will care for them and love them. This is rarely the case and not only are they not tenderly cared for they are discared by their families and tormented further by their husbands.

http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2010/11/17/burning-desperation-why-did-you-burn-yourselfo.html#ixzz1Fg4XMzez

http://www.afghan-web.com/woman/afghanwomenabuse.pdf

Recent surge in Violence

In the past few weeks there has been a sudden surge of violence in Afghanistan. The death toll from the recent attacks in Afghanistan has reached over 100. On Monday, the 21st, 32 Afghan civilians were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a government office in Kunduz. The civilians were waiting in line outside the office to recieve new paperwork and/or identity cards, said Mohammad Ayob Haqyar head of the Kuduz district. In July withdrawl of selected NATO and US troops is scheduled to begin. Speculators have indicated the possible surge in the attacks is due to the projected withdrawl. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack. In the last few weeks over three large scale attacks have occured. The Saturday before this most recent bombing a suicide bomber detonated his bomb in the lobby of a bank where many police officers were chasing their paychecks. The attacks seem to target civilians and governement officials. Because of the upcoming withdrawl and the prosepct that in just under three years Afghanistan's newly created army and police force will have complete control of the country, the attacks seem to be increasing.

I think that this recent surge in violence is extremely interesting due to the recent revolutions in so many of the Middle Eastern countries. Because Afghanistan currently has 140,000 international troops stationed in it revolts similar to the ones in Libya and Egypt are highly unlikely. The coinsidence is however interesting. Hopefully the Taliban is not aiming to reinsert control over the struggling nation.