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Times Online - Afghan flag flies over ex-Taleban stronghold Musa Qala

After a five-day operation to take back the only remaining town in Afghanistan under the control of Taleban insurgents, the Afghan flag was flying today over Musa Qala.

British and US troops began the operation on Friday, before Afghan forces moved in and took the market town in Helmand province. It has been one of the biggest operations carried out by the fledgling Afghan National Army so far.

“After 11 months the Afghan flag is again flying over the Musa Qala district centre,” said Helmand’s governor, Asadullah Wafa.

Yaaay.

Taleban insurgents seized the town in February following the breakdown of a much-criticised local truce in which British troops handed the town to Afghan elders and pulled out in October last year.

Musa Qala was a crucial stronghold for the Taleban because of its importance in the opium and heroin trade. Helmand province reportedly supplies half of the world’s opium and around 90 per cent of the heroin on British streets.

Afghan soldiers searching the town after the operation came across several opium warehouses, including one containing up to £150 million worth of opium.

(OT, but) When I was in London I was watching one of the breakfast shows and they had on some lady, no idea who, who seemed to have been one of these Primrose Hill types famous for being rich, beautiful, and partying a lot. But it was actually a really good interview. She seemed to be there to talk about getting over her drug addiction, so perhaps she’d written a book she was promoting, but at one point she said that she couldn’t really bring herself to go skiing because all those mountains of white powder… I always think of her when I read these things, for some reason. And since I’m on that topic, this is interesting:

The Times - Chasing Charlie
The Britpop star of Blur boasted he had spent £1m on champagne and cocaine. A trip to Colombia opened his eyes to the ruinous legacy of the drug, by Alex James