What did Michael Alford serve as, as part of the ISAF force against a known Taliban stronghold and center of opium production?
Michael Alford (artist) Michael Alford (born 15 September 1958 in Cookham, England) is a British figurative painter whose work includes landscapes and cityscapes, figures, portraits and nudes. Mostly self-taught, he has studied and the Slade and the Chelsea School of Art. Early in his career he had an annual show at the Duncan Campbell Gallery in Mayfair and lived in Spain for extended period where the cost of living was reasonable. He also worked as a muralist. In 2010 he served as official War Artist to the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards during their tour of Helmand, Afghanistan. More recently he has painted nudes, cityscapes, a portrait of Vaughan Smith and completed a commission for the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment.
Opium production in Myanmar Opium production in Myanmar (also known as "Burma") has historically been a major contributor to the county's gross domestic product (GDP). Burma is the world's second largest producer of opium after Afghanistan, producing some 25% of the world's opium, and forms part of the Golden Triangle. The opium industry was a monopoly during colonial times and has since been illegally operated by corrupt officials in the Burmese military and rebel fighters, primarily as the basis for heroin manufacture.