Moscow Patriarchate wants Russia to destroy Afghan Poppy Fields
Moscow, October 12, Interfax – Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for Relations with the Armed Forces Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov has called on the Russian authorities to destroy poppy fields in Afghanistan.
“We have full rights to defend our citizens. Either the U.S. occupation forces do it [destroy poppy fields in Afghanistan], or we should make a map and spray these fields with pesticides in the spring, when they are visible, or develop special missiles to destroy this stuff,” Father Dimitry said in an interview with Interfax-Religion.
Such steps would be “much more effective than catching drug-laden caravans.”
Father Dimitry also said drug abuse is on the rise in Russia and “we will be destroyed if things continue like this.”
“It seems to me that even if aviation doesn’t help, we can use military equipment and deliver targeted strikes. Poppy fields can’t be hidden. We can tell them specific days on which we will bomb them so they can walk far from these places to keep their eyes from being hurt by pesticides,” he said.
Smirnov said there is a war going on against the Russian people on the territory of Afghanistan, “which is hurting millions of people,” adding that the scale of this war “exceeds the war that we conducted on the territory of Afghanistan under the Soviets.”
“I think the world public will back us on this [on the bombing or spaying of Afghan poppy fields with pesticides]. Since the Americans and their allies brought their troops to Afghanistan the number of drugs has exceeded dramatically, and they are not doing anything, which leads us to believe that the Americans may be involved in it,” the priest said.
In the meantime, the Russian authorities have said many times that Russia will not take part in military operations on the territory of Afghanistan and bomb drug plantations.
