Following the defeat of the Taliban in the fall of 2001, there were only a couple of DEA agents in Afghanistan, and the capacity and scope of their mission was limited. The DEA fully reopened its Kabul office in January 2004 and began expanding its presence by permanently stationing intelligence analysts and special agents in Afghanistan to counter the growing drug trade. The DEA developed specially trained units called Foreign-deployed Advisory Support Teams (FAST). The first two FAST units arrived in Afghanistan in April 2005 and set up schools to train the Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA).

Steve Robertson, a DEA Special Agent who has spent considerable time in Afghanistan provided insight into their operations. "We established a DEA office in Kabul and we established the FAST teams," said Robertson.

"These are 10-man teams that go into an area for three months at a time to train our Afghan counterparts, the CNPA." While two FAST teams are in Afghanistan, the remaining teams are based at the DEA Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia, where in addition to performing their training duties at the Academy, they provide operational support for the Afghan-based teams.

DEA agents go through a two-month training school with the U.S. Department of Defense at Fort Benning, Georgia prior to deployment to Afghanistan. The FAST teams teach Afghan narcotics officers the basics of how to do surveillance and develop intelligence, especially human intelligence sources, one of DEA's strong points. They also teach Afghans the rule of law and report-writing, as well as how to secure a location and collect and document evidence. Prior to this training, many Afghan police officers simply destroyed drug shipments and heroin labs without gathering evidence, particularly trace evidence on drugs and chemicals seized.

"Our agents are working hand-in-hand to train and mentor our Afghan counterparts," said Robertson. "We are teaching them how to develop a drug case, from the initial information and the seizure of evidence to prosecution and conviction. We're also helping the Afghans develop their court system."

Some Afghans have received instruction at DEA training facilities in Quantico, Virginia. The Afghan officers learn how to set up teams and the logistics of planning and executing an operation. They also get training in shooting and maintaining a variety of weapons, including pistols, rifles and shotguns.

Most of the DEA training takes place in Kabul and several other locations. Robertson stated that the mission of the United States is to help the Afghans develop a safe, secure government by maintaining order and dismantling criminal operations.

"It is a work in progress," said Robertson. "You pretty much have a rookie police force, but the Afghans are a proud people and they have a desire to do the right thing."

There are numerous issues to overcome, including high levels of illiteracy and the Afghan police department's chronic lack of training and equipment following five years under Taliban rule. The Taliban, who themselves were complicit in the drug trade, did nothing to hinder narcotics trafficking. During the prohibition on cultivation, the Taliban sold their stockpiles of opium for enormous profits and continued to tax all phases of the drug trade in addition to the money they made providing protection for processing labs and smuggling operations.

The DEA, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Defense, established the National Interdiction Unit (NIU) to train Afghans from the CNPA who have the desired skills and security clearance to work with the DEA on major narcotics investigations prior to operating independently. Following their graduation, NIU members are assigned to the DEA's FAST squads.

The training provided by the DEA is producing good results on the ground in Afghanistan. According to Andrea Mancini with the UNODC, the CNPA has destroyed hundreds of heroin labs. They have also increased seizures of opiates and the precursor chemicals used in the processing of heroin. Most seizures are taking place in the highly trafficked eastern provinces of Afghanistan.

"The training has been successful," said Antonio Maria Costa, the executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. "I have met a number of DEA officers in Afghanistan and I have great respect for them."

"I've been to Quantico, I think the training is excellent," said Ashraf Haidari, at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C. Haidari is the coordinator on the Afghan side between the DEA, DoD, and anti-narcotics operations in Kabul. "The training that the DEA provides to Afghan police is incomparable. They are getting the same kind of training that U.S. allies get at Quantico by DEA."

The DEA expanded their training to add Special Interdiction Units (SIU). The first class was trained several months ago. "I went to visit them," said Haidari, "and they were really excited about going back to Afghanistan and using the skills they had learned to go after high value traffickers."

Afghan narcotics officers, trained by the DEA, are successfully initiating independent criminal investigations and drug seizures. These highly motivated, well-trained law enforcement officials are elevating the standards and performance of Afghan police departments. This is essential to the future stability and credibility of the government of President Hamid Karzai.

The U.S. Department of Defense funded and built the FAST and NIU base camp in Afghanistan this year. The camp combines housing and support facilities that contribute to a dedicated, cohesive team.

"The SIU are not like regular narcotics police," reflected Haidari. "These are the best of the best that is in Afghanistan and that's why they've been brought to the U.S. to gain that quality training that U.S, counter-narcotics police receive."

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Professor James Emery is an anthropologist and journalist who has reported on the drug trade for over 20 years, including five years overseas.