The Nexus: International Terrorism and Drug Trafficking from Afghanistan (Praeger Security International)

304 Pages·2011·2.96 MB·English

by  Frank C. Shanty Ph.D.

The Nexus

The Nexus
International Terrorism and Drug
Traffi cking from Afghanistan
FRANK SHANTY
Praeger Security International
Copyright 2011 by Frank Shanty
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
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permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shanty, Frank, 1950–
The nexus : international terrorism and drug traffi cking
from Afghanistan / Frank Shanty.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-313-38521-6 (hardcopy : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-313-38522-3
(ebook)
1. Terrorism—Afghanistan. 2. Drug traffi c—Afghanistan. 3. Drug
control—Afghanistan. I. Title.
HV6431.S46627 2011
363.32509581—dc22 2010045100
ISBN: 978-0-313-38521-6
EISBN: 978-0-313-38522-3
15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5
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Never be Diverted from the Truth by What You Would Like to Believe.
Statement from an unknown source provided
by my father, Dr. Frank Shanty

Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
1. Afghanistan: Introduction, Research Questions,
Terms, and Concepts 1
2. Afghanistan ’ s Opium Problem 20
3. Drugs-Terror Nexus in Afghanistan: Claims,
Counterclaims, and Accusations 43
4. The Taliban, Al Qaeda, and the Afghan Insurgency 64
5. International Terrorism in Afghanistan 80
6. Opium Industry in Afghanistan: Warlords, Criminals,
and the Corruption of Public Offi cials 100
7. Terrorism and the Opium Trade in Afghanistan 122
8. The Drug Trade in Afghanistan: A Complex System 145
Appendix: Maps 165
Notes 169
Bibliography 223
Index 283

Preface
T his book examines criminal drug traffi ckers and international terrorist
networks in Afghanistan from 1979 to 2006, to ascertain whether suffi cient
evidence exists to substantiate claims of an operational nexus between
international criminal drug traffi ckers and international terrorist networks
in Afghanistan. Data on signifi cant factors affecting the opium trade,
terrorism, and nexus issues was collected through 2006. 1
The research strategy was single-case study utilizing embedded units of
analysis. Data sources included historical and contemporary documents,
articles, reports, and interviews with knowledgeable individuals. A recurrent
theme in the literature was the lack of “open source” empirical data rela-
tive to specifi c international drug/terror group alliances in Afghanistan.
Claims supporting a nexus were often based on anecdotal reports which
lacked specifi c detail and corroborating information.
T he epistemological basis of this research is “critical intersubjectivity.” 2
To establish the epistemological validity of the fi ndings the methodol ogical
process of data triangulation ( Yin, 2003, pp. 97–99 ) 3 was utilized to pro-
vide a systematic intersubjective verifi cation to the analytical process.
The analytical strategies relied on “theoretical propositions” and the use
of “rival explanations” as described by Yin (1994, 1998 , and 2003 ). The
initial propositions provided the framework for building an explanation
of the case.
T his study takes a critically intersubjective perspective in that it involved
the examination of confl icting and differing views of many individuals with
various backgrounds, experiences, beliefs, and motivations. 4 Combining
critical intersubjectivity5 ( Fay, 1996 ; Heron and Reason 1997 and 1997a )