Landmines and Poppies

Mines and Poppies - a sideshow of Afghanistan

Every place has its distinguishing features, landmarks, or signature characteristics. I will frequently encounter something along the way of my day and it will trigger a memory of another place a world away. It could be anything that stimulates the recall section of my brain-housing group. Perhaps a craggy, snow-capped mountain that brings the image of The Remarkables Range near Queenstown, New Zealand to mind - such a lovely place that it is. Or there may be a patchwork of colors that bring me back to my roots in the Blue Ridge of North Carolina and their vibrant leaves of fall. But here in Afghanistan these distinctive features are things I hope I don't normally encounter in future travels. While the mountains that surround Bagram are indeed pretty, they aren't so distinctive that I'll think of this place when I see similar peaks. No, what stands out here are bleak reminders of this country's past, present and future. They are both deadly reminders of the ravages that have beset this land for decades, even centuries. One of them is a by-product of a deadly decade of catastrophic conflict brought on when the Soviet Union invaded in 1979 - landmines. The other is a naturally grown plant that has been the source of trans-national drug trade for centuries - poppies. Both of them are found in abundance in this land of war and crime.

Landmines - death and dismemberment is only a footfall away. Afghanistan is the most heavily landmine infested place in the world. That's a sad claim to fame. They have the Soviet Union to thank. In 1979 the now bankrupt Communist regime invaded Afghanistan in an effort to prop up the failing Commie puppet regime in Kabul. What ensued was a bloodbath over a decade long that saw the rise of the future leadership of Al Qaeda and hastened the end of the Soviet Union. From the perspective of the United States, it was a CIA war fought through "freedom fighters" known as the Mujahideen. At last we were able to suck the godless Commies into their own version of Vietnam. The Red Army gradually found itself in close combat with an increasingly sophisticated, highly-mobile band of guerilla fighters that were more than up to their task. Their task was simple - kill as many Russians as possible and keep doing it over and over. The Soviet response was a scorched earth policy of destruction in which rather than adapt to guerilla tactics they attempted to deny the Mujahideen of their greatest ally - the land itself. Heavy handed airstrikes in which collateral damage wasn't even considered were the normal event of the day. Then came the landmines. The Soviets randomly dropped millions and millions of landmines. They planted them in rivers and streams, along roads, in every farmland, mountain pass, and any other spot they deemed useful to anyone. As the Mujahideen gained the upper hand in the struggle the Soviets fell back on their bases and fortified them as though their own Alamo moment had arrived. Then the end came. But not because the ultimate battle to the death ensued, rather because the Soviet Union itself was collapsing. The Red Army was called back to Mother Russia, leaving the Commie Afghan regime to its own devices. That's when the Russian Bear gave its big, bloody middle finger to Afghanistan. On their way out the Soviets dropped millions more landmines on everything they left behind - including their former bases and the land surrounding them. That's what happened to Bagram. Many an Afghani has lost life or limb in the 25 or so years that have passed since the Russians left. The U.S.-led coalition has been conducting demining efforts for the past ten years and still vast stretches remain. It is simply a sad state of affairs and we know fully well that we'll never fully rid this land of the mess.

Poppies - addiction, money, and centuries of misery. Poppies always make me think of the scene from The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and crew are running to the Emerald City only to have the Wicked Witch of the West put them all (except the Scarecrow of course) to sleep with poppies. Only the snowfall from Glenda The Good could wake them back up. Unfortunately for Afghanistan, there is no Glenda The Good to bring her magic snowfall to remove the addiction of the poppies. These beautiful flowers are the source of opium. Their powerful nectar has been fueling a drug trade that has been ongoing for centuries. With the development of even more powerful derivatives such as heroin the drug trade that originates in the fields of Afghanistan has proliferated. There have been wars fought and nations enslaved over the hypnotic sway of the poppy. The drugs of poppies easily found their way both east and west through the spice routes made popular by people like Marco Polo. Those early trade routes went through Afghanistan. In China, the Opium War broke out against Great Britain, which had introduced the drug into China in order to supress the population and maintain order by keeping the Chinese people in a drug-induced state. For the people of Afghanistan the poppy represents their greatest cash crop. But the crops are controlled mainly by trans-national criminal organizations, the money bankrolling terrorist organizations such as the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Efforts have been made in the last decade to introduce new farming methods and crops to replace poppies. But the poppy still reigns supreme. With it comes addiction and death. It will always reign supreme here.

And so once I leave this place I hope my flashback is never induced by the two features of this place that stand out the most. I'd just rather not encounter landmines or poppies after my tour is complete.