HEROIN TRADE HURTING WORK IN AFGHANISTAN

CALGARY (CP)-- The former commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan said
yesterday a burgeoning heroin trade is hurting rebuilding efforts in the
war-torn country.

"Terrorist organizations are evolving past religious fundamentalism into
narco-criminals," said Maj.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, who recently ended six
months as deputy commander of the international security assistance force
in Kabul.

"The warlords and the terrorists who gain the vast majority of their
funding from drugs now, including the Taliban, will fight to the death to
protect their livelihood," Leslie told military and business leaders.

"It's not necessarily for religious reasons, but for ... personal wealth."

Afghanistan's poppy fields produce more than 75% of the world's heroin. All
of it ends up on the streets of Russia and Europe.

"Unless we start to help them do something about it, we'll be dealing with
this on our streets -- if we aren't already," said Leslie, who added
Afghanistan, which has no other exports, will need a generation of military
and financial aid to get back on its feet.

"I know the Europeans are dealing with it on their streets, which is in
part why they're dealing with the problems of Afghanistan."