THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

Way back when the Taliban was running most of the country opium growing was banned except for parts of the north controlled by drug warlords. The the US invaded Shitholeistan through the good offices of these same warlords and since then opium production has resumed its dominance in Afghani agriculture. And in a sad turn of events, the Taliban has been financing its resistance with opium profits.

For much of the winter, the insurgents had the Afghan forces on the back foot in Helmand, inflicting heavy casualties, overrunning outposts and even entire districts. The fighting reached the gates of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, drawing American and British special operations forces into the combat.

Then, just as harvesting began in late March and early April, officials reported a sudden dip in fighting. Despite the Taliban’s official launch of their annual offensive on April 12, with violence intensifying across other parts of the country, Helmand is still experiencing a relative lull as the last bulbs of poppy are scraped.

The period of calm has allowed the Afghan Army in Helmand a rare breather to train and rebuild a force that took a bad beating last year. With men dying at alarming rates and outposts overrun easily, the 215th Afghan Army Corps was forced to abandon certain districts, bringing what remained of the troops to the headquarters for collective retraining.

During the monthlong harvest season in Helmand, the Taliban have better things to do than fight: They profit in multiple ways from the lush opium fields.

Their fighters often lay down their weapons to work as day laborers, farmers say. They also collect the opium tax they impose on the local level, as well as stick around for the additional 10 percent Islamic tax on farm produce, called ushr. Those proceeds are supposed to go to the needy, but often end up going to the Taliban.

Above all, the harvest season becomes a Taliban recruitment drive, with thousands of men coming in from all over the country who are already frustrated with their lack of job opportunities.

“The poppy harvest is a good time for the Taliban to interact with new faces — best time for new recruitment,” said Bashir Ahmad Shakir, the head of security committee at the Helmand provincial council.

Another success story for American involvement in Shitholeistan. Opium cultivation has gone from haram to being a profit center and recruitment tool for the Taliban. Yay for us!