Noorsai Conviction Shows Merger of Criminal and Terrorist Organizations

By Douglas Farah

Yesterday a New York jury convicted Bashir Noorsai, a Taliban-linked drug trafficker of being part of an international conspiracy to sell heroin around the world, including the United States.

The case is noteworthy because Noorsai had developed strong ties to the Taliban, and was a pioneer in forging the drug trafficking alliance that now funds the Taliban's rapid expansion.

Prosecutors said Mr. Noorzai developed a relationship with the Taliban, paying it 10 percent of his drug profits and turning over arms and fighters in return for being allowed to continue his drug operations even after the Taliban banned opium production in 2000.

Noorsai was close to the Taliban's Mullah Omar, the one-eyed leader of the Islamist movement that sheltered Omama bin Laden and then allied with him. It was this alliance between Omar and Noorsai that has helped the Taliban rearm, replenish its worn-out weapons stocks, upgrade it communications systems and greatly improve its logistical operations. My full blog is here.

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