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Taliban monster dope plants defy Canadian military

Fireproof Afghan marijuana

By Lester Haines
Published Friday 13th October 2006 10:09 GMT

Afghanistan's fun-loving Taliban have deployed a hitherto unknown tactic in evading detection in their war against allied forces: take refuge in 10-foot high, fireproof marijuana forests.

Despite Canadian troops' best efforts to burn down the monster dope plantations, the weed continues to offer excellent cover for the insurgents, Reuters reports.

General Rick Hillier, chief of the Canadian defence staff, admitted yesterday: "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."

And when they did manage to get a fire going, the results were predictable. Hillier added: "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."

As one grunt later told Hillier: "Sir, three years ago before I joined the army, I never thought I'd say 'that damn marijuana'."

© Copyright 2006 The Register

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/13/fireproof_forests/

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Canadian Troops Get Stoned Hunting For Taliban

WebReporter: BikerDude
10/13/2006 07:50 AM

It seems Taliban fighters have discovered a resilient and seemingly impenetrable camoflage using marijuana.

A forest of 10 foot marijuana plants has proven a difficult obstacle to Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Attempts to burn the forest has proven fluitless and intoxicating for the troops.

The plants are so rich with water, they provide camoflage, heat insulation and are difficult, if not impossible to burn. Few dried plants were destroyed using various methods, such as white phosphorus, only yielded a buzz for troops down wind.

Source: www.cnn.com [ http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/10/12/canada.troops.marijuana.reut/index.html ]

Copyright ©2006 GoNamic GmbH

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=57589&rubrik1=Current%20Events&rubrik2=Politics&ru... [with comments (. . .)]

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Canada troops battle 10-ft Afghan marijuana plants


Overlooking a field of eight foot tall marijuana plants, two Canadian soldiers from Alpha Company occupy a temporary observation post in Afghanistan's Panjwaii District, September 14, 2006. Canadian troops fighting Taliban militants have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy -- almost impenetrable forests of marijuana plants.
REUTERS/Canadian Forces/Sgt Lou Penney/Handout


A soldier of the International Security Assistance Force walks past a marijuana field that Taliban militants reportedly used for cover Sept. 19 outside Panjwayi, Afghanistan in Kandahar province.
Bronwen Roberts / AFP-Getty Images file
[F6 note -- from http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15239501/ ]

Thu Oct 12, 2006 4:12 PM EDT

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian troops fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy -- almost impenetrable forests of 10-feet (three meter) high marijuana plants.

General Rick Hillier, chief of the Canadian defense staff, said on Thursday that Taliban fighters were using the forests as cover. In response, the crew of at least one armored car had camouflaged their vehicle with marijuana.

"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," he said in a speech in Ottawa.

"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," Hillier 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'."

© Reuters 2006

http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-10-12T200943Z_0...

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[F6 note -- see also (. . .):
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=13822551 ;
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=13330806 ;
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=10119604 (and following);
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=6594440 AND preceding and following;
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=5554533 ;
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=5497533 ;
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=5493005 ;
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=4597845 ;
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=4548793 ;
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=4533938 ;
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=4348449 (and following);
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=3896246 ; and
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=3431661 ]