Watchdog faults Afghanistan anti-drug effort

[unhappycamper]

Watchdog faults Afghanistan anti-drug effort
By Matthew Lee - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Dec 23, 2009 11:55:40 EST

WASHINGTON — The State Department’s internal watchdog on Wednesday criticized the agency’s nearly $2 billion anti-drug effort in Afghanistan for poor oversight and lack of a long-term strategy.

The department’s inspector general said the Afghanistan counternarcotics program is hampered by too few personnel and rampant corruption among Afghan officials.

The inspector general’s report also noted that despite a consensus among U.S. agencies that eradicating poppy fields is essential, the focus has shifted to interdiction of drug organizations and alternative crop projects. That shift is advocated strongly by Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The 69-page review also said U.S. embassies in Afghanistan and Pakistan are not adequately coordinating the program’s activities. It recommended that the State Department set out clear guidelines for measuring success, boost staffing and improve interagency cooperation.

“The department has not clarified an end state for counternarcotics efforts, engaged in long-term planning, or established performance measures for its multipillared approach to counter poppy cultivation and the resultant illegal narcotics industry,” the report said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/12/ap_afghanistan_drugs_122309/



unhappycamper comment: Wonder if this is Kindasleezy's hand me downs.