§ Mr. HammondTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action allied troops in Afghanistan are taking to(a) counter opium production and (b) interdict opium trade. [141899]
§ Mr. IngramI have been asked to reply.
International forces in Afghanistan are helping to train the Afghan Transitional Administration's security forces and, in Kabul, to assist in maintaining security. By doing so, troops of both the coalition and the International Security Assistance Force contribute towards the counter-narcotics programmes of civilian law enforcement and development agencies. They also help the Afghans themselves create the structures through which they can implement more effectively President Karzai's commitment to deal with both opium fanning and trafficking in his country.