International

Dispute Over Drug Raids in Afghanistan

Paulina Slagter

On October 29, 2010, the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai has claimed violation of national sovereignty and international law as the United States and Russia join together to suppress the drug trade, rooted in Afghanistan. This operation by the United States and Russia is intended to destroy the drug laboratories that produce heroin and opium. Officials in Russia blame Afghanistan’s lax policy towards drugs as a cause of the estimated 2.5 million heroin addicts in Russia. Russia was able to destroy 32kg (2,055lb) of high-grade heroin, 156kg (345lb) of opium, and a large amount of technical equipment. Russia’s unilateral drug raids, without the consent of Afghanistan’s government, have angered President Karzai. This is a sensitive issue after Russia’s occupation in Afghanistan 21 years ago. Afghani officials have called the raids ‘illegal’ but Russia’s joint efforts are seen as crucial in suppressing the drug trade and protecting the international community against narcotics. There is controversy as to whether Afghanistan’s interior ministry and elite narcotics officials were assisting the Russian officials in the raid. Afghanistan's interior ministry said it is believed that only Russian observers, rather than Russian troops were to take part, but President Karzai maintains that he was not notified of this and that Afghanistan’s national sovereignty has been infringed upon.

• National Sovereignty: independent rule over a geographic area with the freedoms to make political, economic, military decisions without foreign influence.
• Unilateral: an action or position performed by one actor without the consent of others.
• Narcotics: Term can refer to any illegal drugs but it especially characterizes things like morphine and heroin.

Additional Reading

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11659814