The U.S. military has taken the war on drugs to a new level, dropping 450-kg (100-lb) bombs on an estimated 300 tons of poppy seeds in the province of Helman. This was then followed up by strikes from U.S. helicopters.
The bombing of the poppy seeds, which would normally be turned into heroin or opium, is part of a change of strategy to to stop the Taliban profiting from the sale of the narcotic. The number of poppy-free provinces increased by five between 2007 to 2008.
As part of the strategy, the U.S. Agency for International Development has been providing farmers with irrigation equipment and fertilizers, as well as seeds, to encourage farmers to plant wheat crops over poppy seeds.
