The warlords have a problem

Strategy Page:

"...Most of the country is still run by warlords, and many of them meet their payroll via drug (opium and heroin) profits. The warlords fear no one, except American military power. They have seen what the Special Forces and smart bombs can do and don't want to be on the receiving end of this. Unlike the Russians, there is no way for the Afghans to deal with the Special Forces and smart bombs. Even during the 1980s, the Russian equivalent of the Special Forces (the Spetsnaz) were unbeatable by the Afghan warriors. But the Russians didn't have the smart bombs. So the warlords are willing to play politics and make the best deals they can. The central Afghan government now has a new constitution and upcoming national elections. So, despite the warlord armies, the huge drug trade (drug crop acreage has doubled in the past year, Afghanistan is the world's largest source of heroin) and Taliban trying to make a comeback, most Afghans want to give peace, and a national government, a chance."

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