Marine General Says Taliban Drug Trade Faltering

A Marine two-star general says the Taliban is experiencing a serious cash flow problem after losing an estimated half of its annual revenue from the drug trade in southern Afghanistan.

Maj. Gen. Richard Mills says intelligence reports suggest that last year's poppy blight and government eradication efforts are keeping the Taliban from buying weapons and other supplies.

The assessment is a bright spot in an otherwise difficult war. Mills says U.S. troops are still embroiled in a tough fight in Marjah, a farming town considered the heart of Afghanistan's drug trade. In a Pentagon news conference, Mills declined to answer repeated questions about when Afghan troops could take control.