Persistent, and frequent rumors, in Afghanistan indicate that some of the drug lords are hiring European mercenaries to provide military training for their armed followers. Some of the drug lords have thousands of gunmen on the payroll. But these tribal warriors are traditionally brave, but unreliable, and often inept in combat. Perhaps noting how U.S. and European trainers had turned thousands of Afghan soldiers into pretty efficient troops, the warlords are apparently trying to do the same. While the drug lords have plenty of money for all the latest weapons and gadgets, it's all for naught if the fellow handling the stuff does not have the necessary skills, or his wits about him.
The drug lords have been importing all manner of experts, including some skilled in electronics, agriculture and chemistry. This in addition to a large variety of goods, which enables the drug kingpins to fit out quite luxurious, by any standards, compounds (they look like forts, with satellite dishes). |