Britain and the US are planning to destroy Afghanistan's poppy fields as a way of preventing heroin from hitting the streets.
The two governments are working with Afghanistan's interim administration to destroy fields of opium crops which supply 90% of Europe's heroin, according to reports in the British press.
The secret operation would involve bribing Afghanistan's poppy farmers to produce different crops, it said.
If they refuse to co-operate the poppy fields will be burnt.
In an interview with the newspaper, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "This is about persuading the local population with incentives to grow other things.
"With a relatively small investment from us we can hopefully curb the flow of hard drugs into Europe and onto our streets."
