Part of the U.S. strategy in 20 years of war in Afghanistan? Weakening poppies

By Daniel Ofman,

Scott Detrow, Justine Kenin

Published November 17, 2025 at 4:55 PM EST

In an exclusive Washington Post story, reporter Warren Strobel describes a CIA operation in Afghanistan over the course of about a decade. The goal was to degrade the country's opium crop.

Daniel Ofman

Scott Detrow

Scott Detrow is a White House correspondent for NPR and co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast.

See stories by Scott Detrow

Justine Kenin

Justine Kenin is an editor on All Things Considered. She joined NPR in 1999 as an intern. Nothing makes her happier than getting a book in the right reader's hands – most especially her own.

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