Anti-drugs minister quits over failure

Afghanistan’s counter-narcotics minister has resigned as Afghan laborers finished harvesting an opium poppy crop that could exceed last year’s record haul.

Habibullah Qaderi’s resignation comes as U.S. and Afghan officials debate whether to use herbicides to reduce the drug harvest. President Hamid Karzai previously rejected that approach, partly because of fears the chemicals could affect livestock, legitimate crops and drinking water.

Much of the profit from the $3.1-billion drug trade is believed to fund Taliban fighters.