Taliban drug factories raided by British

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- A recent British raid on a Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan's volatile Helmand province resulted in the capture of four narcotics factories.

The raid, led by a Royal Marines helicopter attack in the Upper Sangin Valley of Helmand province, involved more than 700 British and Afghan soldiers. Officials say the six-day operation resulted in the capture of four Taliban narcotics factories with an alleged $70.1 million worth of drugs and equipment, the British Ministry of Defense reported.

The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime says widespread corruption in Afghanistan has turned a blind eye toward the growing opium trade that largely goes to fund Taliban operations. British officials say the successful raid on the Taliban drug compound will have a significant effect on the militant group's finances.

"The links between the Taliban and the drugs trade are well proven, and we know that the revenue from narcotics production directly funds the insurgency," Brig. Gordon Messenger, commander, Task Force Helmand, said in a statement.

The "operation was a clinical precision strike, supported by strong intelligence, which has had a powerful disruptive effect on known insurgent and narcotics networks in the area."