Mar 4

　　Back in 2003, U.S. officials worried about the drug economy in Afghanistan, where 80,000 hectares (200,000 acres) were being used to grow poppies to supply three-quarters of the world's opium, the main ingredient in heroin and a major source of funding for the country's divisive provincial politicians.

　　Those were the days. With Afghanistan now growing nearly 200,000 hectares of poppies and supplying a full 93 percent of the world's opium, U.S. officials are stepping up counternarcotics efforts in the restive southern provinces of Afghanistan, a move that triggered a bloody six-hour gunfight last week. The clash, the first in this year's aggressive new campaign to eradicate poppy fields, killed 25 Taliban militants fighting to protect the crops and one policeman fighting to raze them.

　　鸦片战争

　　回顾2003年，美国官员对阿富汗的毒品经济甚为担忧，那里有8万公顷（20万英亩）土地用于种植罂粟，以提供世界上3/4的鸦片。鸦片是海洛因的主要成分，也是该国分裂省份政客们的主要资助来源。

　　这些都已经是过去的事了。如今阿富汗有20万公顷的土地种植罂粟，提供世界上93％的鸦片。美国官员们正在阿富汗难以控制的南部省份强化反毒品的努力。上周，这一行动引发了6个小时的血腥枪战。这是今年新的进攻性根除罂粟战役中的第一次行动。在这场冲突中，25名为保护罂粟而战的塔利班武装人员被打死，一名为铲除罂粟而战的警察身亡。