Osama bin Laden himself has been called “one of the world’s largest heroin dealers.” In my 2002 book Islam Unveiled I discussed how the Taliban’s involvement in drug trafficking was consistent with the group’s theology. It is in line with the sharp distinction in the Qur’an and Islamic tradition between believers and unbelievers: since the buyers were non-Muslims, they had no problem selling the product.
“Taliban’s yearly dope take is put at $100M,” by James Gordon Meek for the New York Daily News, October 2 :
WASHINGTON – The resurgent Taliban get a yearly injection of $100 million from drug trafficking, the top U.S. Army general in Afghanistan said Wednesday.
“That’s a conservative estimate,” added Gen. David McKiernan, who also commands NATO troops. […]
McKiernan questioned the commitment of a number of European allies. “Some come to conduct war, some come to summer camp,” he said.
Turning the fight over to fledgling Afghan forces won’t happen “anytime soon,” he predicted.
Afghanistan’s thriving Islamist insurgency has used its eye-popping opium profits to fuel its escalating war against the elected government in Kabul and to oppose U.S. and NATO allies.