U.S. Drops Afghan Opium Spraying Plans

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Facing opposition from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the United States has set aside plans to use spray planes to fumigate opium crops in Afghanistan, the world's largest drug producing country.
Karzai's opposition to spraying has frustrated some U.S. officials who doubt that the vast amount of opium produced in Afghanistan can be significantly reduced without spraying. Opium is the raw material for heroin.
The United Nations says Afghanistan's drug trade has funded terrorists. Some U.S. officials fear it could ultimately lead to the kind of lawlessness that allowed al-Qaida to use Afghanistan as a haven before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Karzai, a close ally of the United States, has called for a ``holy war'' against Afghanistan's drug business, but believes aerial spraying could harm innocent villagers. U.S. officials say drug spraying is safe.