Taliban Hiding in a Forest...of Weed

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In 2006, Canadian coalition forces in Afghanistan stumbled upon a dense forest of 10-foot high marijuana plants, that Taliban fighters were using to hide in. Since marijuana is good at absorbing and dissipating heat, it essentially rendered thermal imaging equipment useless. It's definitely a testament to the ingenuity of guerilla Taliban fighters—they use their own means of economic support as a physical means of protection as well.

It's unclear whether this marijuana was growing wildly or was cultivated, but it seems like based on the density of the forest in the middle of nowhere, it could very well be a farmer's operation. I think that this story may also point to the larger influence of drugs in Afghanistan—not only the drug trade in general, but also the ubiquitousness of it.

According to the article, the Canadians tried to penetrate the forest by setting it on fire. Only a few of the plants caught, since most of them were heavily laden with water. But the smoke from the few that did catch caught an unsuspecting group of coalition soldiers downwind by surprise, with "ill effects."