In the last two months, the French-UK led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 has conducted ‘Operation Southern Surge’ seizing more than 13/4 tons of narcotics from traffickers in the Indian Ocean dealing a significant blow to the funding of terrorism. The seizures included 1250 kg of heroin and 455 kg of hashish.
Narcotics trafficking, particularly heroin, has long been associated with funding terrorism. It is estimated by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) that opiate-derived monies account for more than 10 per cent of Afghanistan’s GDP, and 50 per cent of the Taliban’s funding. Approximately 95 per cent of European heroin originates in Afghanistan.
With an Area of Operations more than 2,000,000 square miles in size, CTF 150 operations such as Southern Surge are necessary to concentrate forces and maximise coordination of the multi-national assets assigned to the task. French frigates Surcouf and Nivose, British frigate HMS Monmouth, Australian frigate HMAS Arunta and US destroyers USS Truxtun and USS Hue City have all conducted multiple boardings of suspicious dhows, resulting in the seizure and destruction of narcotics. Most of the seizures involved combined action between the warships and maritime patrol aircraft from France, Denmark and New Zealand, which supported the operation. These aircraft search wide areas of ocean in order to locate suspicious dhows, before passing their positions to the warships to intercept and board the vessels.
Source: CMF
