RESURGENT THREAT FROM NARCO-TERRORISTS

FIVE years after the United States and coalition forces rousted the
Taliban from power, Afghanistan threatens to relapse into a failed state.

A lack of security and pervasive corruption are fueling a booming
narcotics trade and drug-rich Taliban. Some regions already offer
safe haven for narco-terrorists. This is the grim picture painted by
a U.N. report released Aug. 27.

The United States and NATO can still curb the opium explosion and
Taliban resurgence. But this will require a stronger effort than has
been apparent in the last five years.

Lawless areas must be secured, corruption attacked and alternatives
found to the lucrative opium trade. Ignoring the problem will only
increase instability and terrorist threats.

After record harvests in the last two years, Afghanistan's opium crop
has doubled to alarming levels.

The country now produces 93 percent of the world's opiates - a
multibillion-dollar business that includes heroin.

"Leaving aside 19th-century China," the U.N. report says, "no other
country in the world has ever produced narcotics on such a deadly scale."

Taliban and other insurgent groups not only are boosting production
but also are funding their own growth. Corrupt government officials
share in the spoils. This is both a terrorist and illicit-drug threat.

Even the head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime warns that
Afghanistan's opium stockpiles may "once again be used to fund
international terrorism."

Notably, the seven northern provinces that stopped growing opium
poppy last year have relatively better security.

The huge gains in the south have occurred where both security and
government control are lacking. This has happened before - in
Colombia. Insurgents will step into a power vacuum and underwrite
violence with narco-profits.

The remedies aren't quick or easy, and they must be sustained to
achieve lasting results. U.S. and NATO forces should:

Coordinate counter-drug and military efforts, just as in Colombia.

Secure the lawless areas where narco-insurgents and opium production
now flourish.

Work with the Afghan government to root out officials involved in
drug trafficking.

Target key traffickers for asset seizures and criminal prosecution.

Offer farmers incentives and viable alternatives to opium poppy.

Increase manual eradication of poppy crops. Aerial eradication,
favored by the U.S. government, is more likely to turn farmers
against the effort.

Long-term, the best solution is a stable Afghan government that can
secure all its territory and enforce the rule of law.