“Canadian troops fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy — almost impenetrable forests of marijuana plants 10 feet tall.“
“The challenge is that marijuana plants absorb energy, heat very readily. It’s very difficult to penetrate with thermal devices. … And as a result you really have to be careful that the Taliban don’t dodge in and out of those marijuana forests,” General Rick Hillier said in a speech in Ottawa, Canada.
“We tried burning them with white phosphorous — it didn’t work. We tried burning them with diesel — it didn’t work. The plants are so full of water right now … that we simply couldn’t burn them,” he said.
Even successful incineration had its drawbacks.
“A couple of brown plants on the edges of some of those [forests] did catch on fire. But a section of soldiers that was downwind from that had some ill effects and decided that was probably not the right course of action,” Hiller said dryly.
One soldier told him later: “Sir, three years ago before I joined the army, I never thought I’d say ‘That damn marijuana’.”
White Phosphorous vs. White Widow
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Air strike? Wasn’t the daisy cutter more or less meant to level real forrests? Sure its US, not canuk, buts i don’t see them “just saying NO” to a request like that. But still then, even if its all nicely plowed down, how to dispose of it efficiently without ‘ill effects’.
Couldn’t you just drive a dozer through the field?
Hmm, does nbc mask stop mj effects?
Trick one is to find a bug that loves the plant introduce it to the area and give it some time to work.
Trick two find a botanist give him some time for a solution.
Somebody is wrong on the internet and I don't have time to deal with it right now. That somebody is you. Stop talking
thats a good technique
yeah, because introducing foriegn species has always worked well in the pass…
It has taken Afghanistan 25 years to cultivate a ground cover that resists erosion, “tells” of weapons being in the area, and a natural water source for such a desert region. The United States has no legal right to damage or destroy any crops of any nation! That is a violation of the Geneva convention to destroy locally grown crops and livestock.
Agent Orange did a pretty good job last time….didn’t it?
Let’s think it through first this time.
Why don’t we just ship a load of pot-heads over there. Offer them free weed and thousands of people would jump at the chance and they would get through it in no time.
And yes, a NBC mask will stop the smoke.
Harvest it and sell it to offset the O&M shorfalls….
“It has taken Afghanistan 25 years to cultivate a ground cover that resists erosion, “tells” of weapons being in the area, and a natural water source for such a desert region. The United States has no legal right to damage or destroy any crops of any nation! That is a violation of the Geneva convention to destroy locally grown crops and livestock.”
Sorry, when the bad guys are hiding a field of “crops” that can be replanted, and regrow there is no reason not to destroy the crops, to uncover the bad guys. Then when the bad guys are all dead, or stop blowing up innocent people then the regular people of Afganistan can go back to farming.
Who are these "bad guys" and why on earth do you think that you'll ever kill them all? That is foolish.
But what about the Canuk troops? Can THEY scorche teh earth, duuude? Since they’re the military forces mentioned?
Glycophosphate (agricultural “Round Up”) and Bronc max are readilly used in my area for preparing farmland before planting.
Takes about a week to kill the plants, then burn up the field. It does not sterilize the soil.
You can even mix it with water that is not potable.
“Sorry, when the bad guys are hiding a field of ‘crops’ that can be replanted, and regrow there is no reason not to destroy the crops, to uncover the bad guys. Then when the bad guys are all dead, or stop blowing up innocent people then the regular people of Afganistan can go back to farming.”
Is this an actual war you’re describing? Or one you play with legos in your living room?
Just nuke the whold damned country! Thats what i’d do ;)
Yeah! Destroying farmer’s crops is the way to win hearts and minds.
My country tis of the
sweet land of stupidity.
Some of these comments sound like they came from Dopers or some so called Arm Chair General (Military Gamer) who has never been on the receiving end of a bullet shot by a REAL bad guy. I have and its not very fun. If they’re so smart (or intelliegent(Ha! Ha!)) why don’t they enlist in the military so our troops can learn from them.
All my brother and sister in harms way, you are in my thoughts and prayers every day.
Before the US military “liberated” Afghanistan, the Taliban had virtually eliminated opium poppy production there. Perhaps the real mission of the US military is to ensure a resurgence of opium production in Afghanistan for distribution and consumption in the US. The US government benefits in 2 ways by protecting the burgeoning opium business in Afghanistan – 1st, there’s billions of dollars to be made by the criminal element in American society (many of whom are politicans at the federal level), and 2nd, spaced out Americans are much easier for big brother to control. It’s a bloody shame that American soldiers are fighting and dying in the “Opium War”.
It’s simple…locate enemy, drop MOAB, vaporize the hippies with their weed, protect US troops, repeat often.
Hey jpw growing pot you can conceal on rocks so the heat from the rocks distorts the signature at night when the cops look for it.So reverse effect at night the vehicle blocks and bodies will be cooler than the dope,you pick up the lack of heat and toast the bad guys..This will save the crops so you dont get in a political pisser but effectivly deter the smucks. semper fi
smoke weed everyday
I can’t believe this crap…You want to get rid of a green (as in wet) field of plants (regardless of legality?) Of course diesel and phosphorus didn’t work. If it’s all that important, call in napalm strikes. Also, you flag-wavers, this aren’t, for the most part, ‘dopers’ cultivating. These are dirt-poor farmers that are smart enough to recognize that they can grow 1 acre of pot (or opium, for that matter) and make the same money that they would growing 10-20 acres of something the US occupying force finds acceptable. Let me guess you ‘soldiers’ are good conservatives all around and ask you: what about free markets? There is a market, and if there wasn’t, the cultivation would stop. Maybe the US should have made sure the job was ‘done’ in Afghanistan before it bailed and left the citizenry to fend for itself. And by bailed I don’t mean left, I mean that the forces left aren’t (obviously) enough to get the job done, if patches of marijuana are really such an issue.
I wish I would have been there when they burnt it all up!!!!!!!
there are veen better led grow lights out there called fuzzlights.com
really cheap as well. cost less than 100 dolalrs per bulb
http://www.fuzzlight.com
OMG I WISH I COULD SMOKE ALL THAT WEED. P.S PLEASE SEND ME SOME
Yeah sure! Do you really think they burned them. They most likely packaged them and are selling them now. Give me a break! Who wouldn’t do the same if they stummbled on a field of marijuana. I like the last quote “that damn marijuana” haha sureeeeeeeeeeeee…
It’s a shame they can’t harvest the forest and have cross-cultural session. If the soldiers from both sides came together and smoked the forest, they’d become passive and non-violent. The biggest risk here is the possible lack of munchies
All this talk about “bad guys…”
Tell me – just what does a “bad guy” look like?
Three years ago, after friends introduced, I played the Rappelz game. At that time, I dazed and confused, I like to go my own way, I have a lot of rappelz rupees, but I became the most evil villains in the game. Until I encountered her, I found the meaning of survival.
The friend took me to the game, but she own was leaving the game. A person to game is boring, every day, I only know to upgrade and earn ro zeny. I can not sad dot this mess of feelings and moving. Once, the two boys for me quarreled utterly, until I leaved and tool sad. Later, I found a boy to married, I think perhaps all this to change, and I pray to become a reality, a few days after he disappeared. A person was playing a marriage number, what would it have taken place.
I laughed when reading this story :)
However while reading the comments here this gets much more serious, some people do not understand that this war in afghanistan is unjustified… the whole point is that the US should not be there…
Now if it was justified and the US army had to be there, then you still have to deal with all the legal geneva conventions issues of burning crops and what not laws there might be, im not expert…
But thats not the case…
hell yeah white widows the shit!!!!!!!