The turmoil occurring in the Middle East and elsewhere should serve as a stark reminder of a war that lasted almost 20 years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unfortunately, so many have already forgotten the over 7,000 service members who sacrificed their lives to wipe out terrorism, only to have it flourish again in the Middle East.
Although it can be argued as to why these terror groups remain intact, one thing is for sure, they rely on corrupt governments and illicit means to support their activities. To combat these groups requires a multi-faceted approach aimed not only at fighting head-on, but also cutting their finances and supply chain.
As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq raged on, innovative methods were created to hit these organizations from all sides.
One of the more successful ones rarely receives the recognition it deserves.
In an effort to join in the fight against terrorism, the DEA expanded its Kabul Country Office, which at its height had over 50 agents and intel analysts working together to identify and capture the most nefarious drug traffickers. In doing so, they discovered that many of these traffickers were also identified by ISAF as cell leaders for terrorist organizations. Due to specific authorities, the military was unable to make arrests for drug violations. These agents shared their wisdom and expertise to train the Afghan Sensitive Investigation Unit (SIU) to target drug traffickers.
Capturing these drug traffickers was another issue. DEA joined forces with the Department of Defense (DOD) and established a unit, known as FAST, to train and mentor the Afghan drug enforcement units, known as the National Interdiction Unit (NIU), who were responsible for going out and arresting these traffickers.
FAST members were required to go through a rigorous training regimen in order to be selected for the team. This was because FAST members would actually deploy side-by-side with elite military units to conduct counter-narcotics operations.
This proved to be a successful model. As the war was being fought on the front, elite Special Forces and outstanding law enforcement agents were cutting terror finances behind the lines by dismantling illicit opium labs, seizing drug proceeds, and arresting drug traffickers, who moonlighted as terrorist leaders. Through the authorities granted to the NIU, coupled with the use of military support and FAST’s ability to conduct counter-narcotics operations, the FAST program accomplished record seizures of opium, heroin, and hashish.
As German war theorist Carl von Clausewitz wrote, “The enemy force must be destroyed, that is, destabilized in such a manner that it cannot continue the fight.” By depriving the terrorists of key income from the illicit drug trade, FAST destroyed their ability to resupply and reinforce themselves, and thus cut their logistical ability to wage war. All members of FAST made untold sacrifices in doing so. It is time for history to recognize their great achievements.