2 1/2 tons of marijuana found in Afghan school

Monday 22nd December, 05:11 AM JST

KABUL —

Afghan and coalition troops found and destroyed 2.5 tons of marijuana in an abandoned school in southern Afghanistan, while coalition troops killed four militants elsewhere in the south, officials said Sunday.

The marijuana, which was stored in half-meter tall stacks, filled several rooms of a school in the Arghistan district of the southern province of Kandahar, a statement from U.S. forces in Afghanistan said.

“No students or faculty were at the schoolhouse at the time of the discovery. The school’s furniture had been taken out of the classrooms and left in the courtyard. The amount of rust on the furniture indicated the school may not have been used for its intended purpose for a prolonged period of time,” the statement said.

Col Jerry O’Hara, a U.S. military spokesman, said using a school as a drug warehouse “is an attack on the future of all Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan is the world’s largest producer of opium, the main ingredient in heroin. But as the U.S. and other Western nations have tried to help Afghanistan stamp out its poppy fields, an increasing number of farmers have turned to marijuana, which is receiving less attention from authorities.

In Zabul province, meanwhile, coalition forces killed four armed militants and detained five suspects during an operation Saturday, the coalition said.

The operation targeted a Taliban militant “known to traffic weapons and coordinate roadside bomb attacks,” the military said.

Violence has spiked in Afghanistan the last two years, and some 65,000 international troops are now in the country.

Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Saturday during a trip to Kabul that the United States would send between 20,000 and 30,000 more forces to Afghanistan by summer. Those forces will primarily move into the country’s south, where the insurgency is the most entrenched.

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Latest 15 of 17 Total Comments Show All

skipthesong at 08:37 AM JST - 22nd December

they should smoke it. It would end the war. I'm not joking
Sarge at 08:52 AM JST - 22nd December

skip - Smoking it wouldn't end the war, but it would slow down Afghanistan's reconstruction.
SuperLib at 10:51 AM JST - 22nd December

In other news, students in California applying for the 2009-2010 school year in Afghanistan.
VoXman at 11:19 AM JST - 22nd December

Getting the Taliban high would end all these Jihad's. But then you'd have to start showing way more cartoons on TV and ship in tons and tons more snacks.......I'd much rather see the Afghan grow Ganga than Opium..... Afghanistan's tourism market would explode.....

"Come to Kabul! Cuz you know you wanna get high!"
Helter_Skelter at 11:53 AM JST - 22nd December

destroyed 2.5 tons of marijuana

That's a lot of marijuana. Ruined adaydream's day no doubt.
sabiwabi at 02:06 PM JST - 22nd December

School? may be they are refering to 'madrasa'

Yes, a madrasa is a school and a school is a madrasa.
Altria at 02:13 PM JST - 22nd December

Instead of getting high grades they were just getting high.
smithinjapan at 03:04 PM JST - 22nd December

sarge: " Smoking it wouldn't end the war, but it would slow down Afghanistan's reconstruction."

Reconstruction of.... schools? Yeah, clearly THAT's working well!
likeitis at 03:27 PM JST - 22nd December

Yes, a madrasa is a school and a school is a madrasa.

Oh, I thought it meant "terrorist training camp" cause you know, they have had madrasa since ancient times. Never mind the kindergarten age kids there. The dynamite they strap their chest is all construction paper and crayons.

Man, some people JUST HAVE to believe in monsters. Disprove the existence of the boogey man, and they move on to something else.
adaydream at 03:42 PM JST - 22nd December

Helter Skelter, that I agree with.

But I'm not for marijuana within 1000 of schools. So I'm not pleased hearing about schools being used to warehouse mnarijuana. < :-)
sailwind at 03:46 PM JST - 22nd December

Oh, I thought it meant "terrorist training camp" cause you know, they have had madrasa since ancient times. Never mind the kindergarten age kids there. The dynamite they strap their chest is all construction paper and crayons.

You might think your being witty but your a heck of a lot closer to the truth in that statement than you would ever think.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/foreigndesk/detail?blogid=16&entry_id=17188
likeitis at 04:14 PM JST - 22nd December

You might think your being witty but your a heck of a lot closer to the truth in that statement than you would ever think.

No sail, you are engaging in the same ridiculous concept that the few defines the many. You may as well say that Boy Scout camps are the same as terrorist training camps because they both use the word "camp".
Sarge at 10:56 PM JST - 22nd December

adaydream: "I'm not for marijuana within 1000 of schools..."

A perfect example of the detrimental effects of marijuana.
USARonin at 11:05 PM JST - 22nd December

Before urinalysis in the military became fashionable again, the US statement would've said 2 1/2 pounds of Mary Jane had been found.

At least the huntin' expedition backed four bad guys, too.
adaydream at 02:00 AM JST - 23rd December

Sarge, I've said many times.

Marijuana should legalized. It's safer than alcohol and there aren't the angry side effects.

A perfect example of the detrimental effects of marijuana.

Because I don't believe like you. Thank god I don't. Have a great day. < :-)