US Marine commanding general says his forces hurting Taliban’s opium trade in Afghanistan

Commander: Marine forces hurt Taliban opium trade

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The commanding general in charge of U.S. Marines in Afghanistan says his forces have dealt a blow to the Taliban’s multimillion-dollar opium poppy business.

Maj. Gen. Richard Mills says his troops have made deals to take half of all poppy-producing land out of commission. Speaking Friday in Afghanistan in a video conference aired in Camp Pendleton, Mills says farmers in Helmand Province have given him pledges they will not reseed next year.

Curbing the Taliban’s opium poppy business was a major goal of a military operation to seize the former insurgent stronghold of Marjah.