O pium harvesting has just begun in the area where the Canadian Forces operate in Afghanistan, with boys and men collecting the drug that has become a primary revenue source for the Taliban.

"We know that in some of the areas, the profit does make its way into insurgent hands," said Canadian Forces Maj. Wade Niven, whose area of command in eastern Panjwaii district contains two villages where poppies make up a third to a half of the cropland. "The Canadian national policy prevents us from doing too much about it."

calgaryherald.com