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On 27 July 2000, the Taleban authorities banned the cultivation of opium poppy for the next planting season throughout all areas under their control. Since the start of planting season in October 2000, there were reports that the ban is being implemented seriously and farmers were refraining from cultivation of opium poppy 1 Fields that normally would be planted . with poppy seed were instead planting wheat and vegetables. Furthermore, there was strong evidence that the Taleban authorities were taking stringent measures to enforce the ban.
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The conclusion of the Pre-assessment Survey was that the ban had been effective. The
amount of poppy observed in all villages surveyed was 27 Ha. The preliminary estimate was
that there would be a reduction of 70,000 Ha in total poppy area for Afghanistan. There were
no exceptions to the ban. In areas where poppy had been planted, violators were arrested and
imprisoned for several days and then released with the commitment that they would destroy
their plantings.
Opium prices in Afghanistan changed considerably during the last two years. After a long period of relative stability (1994-2000) and prices as low as US$ 30 per kg, opium prices skyrocketed in 2001 following the enforcement of a ban on opium poppy cultivation. Between mid-2000 and the harvest time of 2001, opium prices increased ten-fold from US$ 30 per kg to about US$ 300 per kg, and then doubled again to reach a record-high of about US$ 700 per kg in early September 2001. Immediately after 11 September, opium prices declined quickly to about US$100 per kg, reflecting the closing of Afghanistan’s borders and the off-loading of stocks by traders. In early 2002, as measured by the survey, the average price for Afghan fresh opium increased again to US$ 350 per kg. As the opium harvest is not brought at once to the markets and as opium prices movements are difficult to anticipate, the final average price for the 2002 opium production could differ from this estimate.
July 12, 2001 -- A full two months before the September 11 attack, a Russian expert, Tatyana Koryagina, "a senior research fellow in the Institute of Macroeconomic Researches subordinated to Russian Ministry of Economic Development", warned of an attack in America: "Besides bombs and missiles, there are other kinds of weaponry, much more destructive ones. . . . The U.S. is engaged in a mortal economic game … There is a shadow economy, shadow politics and also a shadow history, known to conspirologists. There are (unseen) forces acting in the world, unstoppable for (most powerful) countries and even continents. There are international, 'super-state' and 'super-government' groups. In accordance with tradition, the mystical and religious components play extremely important roles in human history. One must take into account the shadow economy, shadow politics and the religious component, while predicting the development of the present financial situation. Shadow financial activities of $300 trillion are hanging over the planet. At any moment, they could fall on any stock exchange and cause panic and crash... The U.S. has been chosen as the object of financial attack because the financial center of the planet is located there. The effect will be maximal. The strike waves of economic crisis will spread over the planet instantly, and will remind us of the blast of a huge nuclear bomb." This speech has proven prescient, given the state of the global economy in 2009.
Originally posted by damwel
You know I really find it interesting and enlightening to see how billions of dollars can disappear and no one, not the WH, not Congress, not the press even asks well where did it go? No investigation into it that I know of at all.
Typical truther lie, read what he actually said, and the context and you would know where the money is. Why do truthers keep repeating this lie?
Originally posted by backinblack
Yep, it was just accounting errors, but even by twisting the numbers they still couldn't account for all of it..
Care to tell us how much their twisted accountants still failed to hide/account for???
Originally posted by dereks
Originally posted by backinblack
Yep, it was just accounting errors, but even by twisting the numbers they still couldn't account for all of it..
Care to tell us how much their twisted accountants still failed to hide/account for???
Zero, it has all been accounted for