American watchdog says Afghanistan risks becoming 'narco-state' --- American watchdog says Afghanistan risks becoming 'narco-state' -- Nato-led forces will end combat operations this year leaving a fragile government in Kabul and its security forces with the task of keeping Taliban insurgents at bay. -- In a sobering assessment, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has warned senators that the narcotics trade is stoking corruption and providing support to militant groups, threatening the entire mission to leave behind a stable country. -- Britain has led costly international efforts to stamp out the trade for much of the past decade, but the inspector warned Afghanistan was now at risk of becoming a “narco-state”. -- “In sum, the expanding cultivation and trafficking of drugs is one of the most significant factors putting the entire US and international donor investment in the reconstruction of Afghanistan at risk,” said John Sopko, in evidence presented to the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control on Wednesday. - More, Guardian, at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/10573168/American-watchdog-says-Afghanistan-risks-becoming-narco-state.html