Same ol touchy subject !!!

[jug]

A fairly recent example is may 2001. Colin Powell announced a $43 million grant to Afghanistan after the Taliban declared a ban on opium cultivation. Afghanistan's estimated gross domestic product was a only $2 billion that year. So they recieved more than 20 years worth of revenue for nothing. A lot of that money has gone to the Taliban (reportedly most of it), it is part of a deal with the US, they stop opium production and the US pays them. They then use that money to buy weapons instead of using drug money. I fail to see why thats an advanatge for the US but they did it anyway. Even dafter, the Talban didn't stop or even reduce opium production, so they got even more money.
http://www.cato.org/dailys/08-02-02.html

Also, more generally, half of Taliban manpower and equipment originated in Pakistan under the ISI. Following the Soviet withdrawal both sides in the Afghan civil war continued to receive support through Pakistan's ISI for several years. As you are probably aware the ISI is the Pakistani Military Intelligence which was funded prior to, during, and after the cold war and was used to distribute finances to america's "new allies" (to avoid america dealing directly with them finacially). Even after the Taliban took control of Afganistan the funding continued for both sides in a bid to fuel the civil war and make it last longer. This has since stopped (early 80s) and the ISI is not funded by the US any more.
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO109C.html

Then there's the american company Unocal who paid $2m to the Taliban in exchange for laying a gas pipe across Afganistan because it was decied that the gain to the Amercian energy industry outweighed the cost
(stuggling to find a link at the mo but its true, check up on it)

What's really ironic is that russia is now also funding the Taliban. Its all gone full circle. what a mess :bang:

 

[Morritt]

i found a good article (bit far fetched)basically linking 11/9/2001 to the collapse of enron and the saudi royal family ... was interesting if a little long winded and incriminated 1/2 the top brass of the FBI, CIA and the then american administration.

basically your quoting stuff from 20 years ago, back then its perfectly true that Osama Bin Laden was considered OK in many circles, things change and its not always because of american stupidity.

im not surprised that america paid off the taliban to stop drug production, its all in line with the "war on drugs" (which gets overshadowed by the "war on terror", this doesnt mean that america is doing something wrong does it?

 

[SkinzCinqSporting]

And it a shame that more people dont as you do

Thanks Phil at least a few people voice their opinions eh

 

[hmallett]

Colin Powell announced a $43 million grant to Afghanistan after the Taliban declared a ban on opium cultivation. Afghanistan's estimated gross domestic product was a only $2 billion that year. So they recieved more than 20 years worth of revenue for nothing.

I haven't checked your source to see if it's just a typo on your part, but if not, check your sums!
$2 billion x 20 = $43 million makes you Sting's accountant
H

 

[jug]

I haven't checked your source to see if it's just a typo on your part, but if not, check your sums!
$2 billion x 20 = $43 million makes you Sting's accountant
H

i misread the billion part.

:bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang:


in my defence it was a hard day at work, the new girl looks nice

 

[cazz]

She lost the tribunal, no doubt it will be appealled and appealled etc. all at a huge cost to us the tax payer

 

[Jai]

She lost the tribunal, no doubt it will be appealled and appealled etc. all at a huge cost to us the tax payer

not entirely correct:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/6066726.stm

"A Muslim classroom assistant who was suspended by a West Yorkshire school after insisting on wearing a veil in lessons has partially won a tribunal.

Aishah Azmi, 23, was asked to remove the veil after the Dewsbury school said pupils found it hard to understand her.

She won her case of victimisation against Kirklees Council, which was ordered to pay her £1,100.

Her claims of religious discrimination and harassment on the grounds of religion or belief were dismissed.

Headfield Church of England Junior School suspended Ms Azmi because it said pupils found it hard to understand her during lessons.

But Ms Azmi said the veil caused no problems with the children, with whom she had a "brilliant relationship".

She said she would remove the garment, but not in front of male colleagues.

Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik said the decision to reject her claims of religious discrimination was "a victory for common sense". "

 

[cazz]

What did i get wrong jai? she is going to appeal and it will cost tax payers money.