NATO commander confirms more weapons from Iran seized
KABUL (AFP) - A convoy of explosives seized by NATO troops in Afghanistan definitely came from Iran but not necessarily from the government in Tehran, the top NATO general here said Sunday.
 
General Dan McNeill, head of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), confirmed a report in Sunday's Washington Post which said the shipment had been discovered last week.

"The geographic origin of that convoy was clearly Iran but take note that I did not say it's the Iranian government," the US general told AFP in an interview.

"In that convoy there were explosive materials that could be made into more advanced improvised explosive devices," he said, refusing to make any further comment on the shipment, as it was still being analysed.

"It is not the first convoy that we have intercepted that had geographical origins from Iran, but it is one that has my attention."

Citing unidentified ISAF officials, The Washington Post said the weapons stash included armour-piercing bombs, which have been especially deadly when used as roadside bombs against foreign troops in Iraq.

The NATO-led force interdicted two smaller shipments of similar weapons from Iran into southern Helmand province on April 11 and May 3, the report said.

The good part is that the americans don't want to suggest that it comes from the governement in Tehran

Being a neighbor to Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran shoulders great deal of losses due to great influx of afghan refugees into Iran (more than 2 million), increasing trend of drug trafficking through Iranian territory, and existing poverty and unemployment among afghans that are the main factors contributing to the outbreak of crimes and acts of banditry and hostage-takings in Iran, which subsequently leads to the failure of national drug control programs.

     Most of opium produced in Afghanistan is processed into heroin or morphine base at the joint border areas with Pakistan. Heroin and morphine hauls mainly find their way out of Afghanistan to Iran via Pakistan for onward transportation to Europe. Some quantities of afghan opium and cannabis are also smuggled into Iran, the bulk of which is transited to the Arabian littoral states of Persian Gulf,

     Reviewing the illicit drug smuggling situation in Iran during the year 2002 shows that the influx of afghan opium, which is smuggled from Afghanistan or via Pakistan, poses a serious threat to Iran. Despite the severe enforcement measures and establishment of various fortifications along 1975 km of our joint border with these to countries which has cost Iran over 1 billion US dollars, there is still no sign of diminishing in flow of illicit drug trafficking.

    In addition to deployment of operational regiments and over 30,000 anti-drug personnel along the eastern border areas, the physical barriers, as a complementary element, play a pivotal role in creating bottlenecks for drug traffickers. These include:

1. Construction of 212 border outposts,

2. Construction of 205 observation posts,

3. Establishment of 22 concrete barriers,

4. Construction of 290 km of canals (depth=4m, width=5m),

5. Construction of 659km of soil embankment,

6. Installment of 78km of barbed wire fences,

7. Construction of 2465km of asphalt and graveled roads,

8. Relocation of border villages previously used for drug trafficking and building new villages far from border areas.

 

   Further to more than 1 billion US dollars investment made for their construction. These fortifications also require maintenance costs each year. These measures have, to some extent, forced drug cartels to select new routes and tactics and moving towards northern Iran and eventually CIS countries as bet alternative routes. But according to UNODC and since more than 80% of total global seizures of opiates in the world take place in Islamic Republic of Iran, the country is still the main and the shortest land route from Afghanistan to Europe.

    In addition to financial investments, the Islamic Republic of Iran has lost more than 3200 anti-drug personnel in fight against armed drug convoys moving out of Afghanistan and Pakistan during the last two decades. Accordingly, the main portion of human and equipment losses inflicted upon the government results from border skirmishes with drug smugglers. The total of 1,070 cases of armed confrontation have been reported in the year 2002 as a result of which 1,845 drug trafficking groups have been dismantled. During the same period more than 1,196 different types of weapons were also seized in the course of gun battles.

 

The Anti-Drug Campaign Martyrs:

 

  Drug traffickers mostly Afghan are heavily armed and infiltrating vehicular convoys or camel narco-caravans are escorted by riflemen. The efforts by the police and other Iranian drug control agencies to hinder the passage of convoys frequently lead to armed clashes between the two sides. In the past two decades, more than 3,200 anti-drug personnel have lost their lives in conflicts with drug traffickers. In the year 2000 alone, 67 officers have been martyred.