US ends campaign to destroy Taliban drug labs in Afghanistan
By PHILLIP WALTER WELLMAN | STARS AND STRIPES Published: February 22, 2019
KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. military has ended a controversial bombing campaign that targeted Taliban drug labs across Afghanistan, without appearing to significantly disrupt the group’s ability to generate revenue from the illegal narcotics trade.
In its most recent report on Wednesday, the Defense Department Inspector General said the operation was officially terminated during the last quarter of 2018.
The campaign, known as Operation Iron Tempest, was launched in November 2017 to hurt the Taliban financially. It was part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy for Afghanistan, which relaxed rules of engagement in a bid to push the insurgents to the negotiating table.
https://www.stripes.com/news/us-ends-campaign-to-destroy-taliban-drug-labs-in-afghanistan-1.569798
