Tolo News: The Washington Post reported that Afghanistan’s “fastest-growing drug industry operates from desert outposts in plain view.” The Islamic Emirate has yet to comment in reaction to the report. The report said that the meth industry is “growing at breakneck speed, stoking fears among Western experts and officials that, under the Taliban, Afghanistan could
8am: Local sources say the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has boosted opium markets and has encouraged poppy farmers to increase production and turn more lands into poppy cultivation fields. Click here to read more (external link).
The Independent (UK): Apart from the potentially ruinous domestic impact, the collapse of Afghanistan’s heroin trade may also usher in a new era of drug trafficking in Europe and the UK, where most Afghan-sourced heroin is consumed. Click here to read more (external link).
VOA News April 15, 2022 A blanket ban on poppy cultivation by the Taliban emir is exacerbating Afghanistan’s already dire economic situation and could lead to armed uprisings against the Islamist regime, experts say. “This is a crazy policy at the worst possible time,” said William Byrd, senior Afghanistan expert at the U.S. Institute of
Tolo News: Niaz Mohammad, a farmer in Kandahar province, said that he cultivated poppy plants on 250 acres of land, where dozens of people are working on the farms. “Until our government stops us from cultivating it, we will not stop cultivating poppy. We don’t care about the westerners,” said Niaz Mohammad, a farmer. “It
8am: The Taliban’s decree on banning opium cultivation and trafficking comes out when the farmers in the opium and poppy fields have already finished the process of cultivation and production of opium. In such a scenario, banning opium harvesting is nothing more than trying to deceive the world. The decision will only enable the Taliban
Roshan Noorzai VOA News December 11, 2021 Farmers in Afghanistan say that they will continue to grow poppy amid uncertainty over the Taliban’s poppy eradication policy. “We have no choice but to cultivate opium poppy,” said Noor, 52, a farmer living in a remote village in the western Farah province. For safety reasons, he did
The Guardian (UK): The Taliban’s announcement that it plans to ban the production of opium in Afghanistan does not faze seasoned dealer Ahmed Khan. “They could not fund their war if there were no opium,” says Khan, who operates out of Baramcha, close to the border with Pakistan. The Taliban has benefited the most from
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi August 2, 2021 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on August 2 blamed Washington’s “sudden” decision about its troop withdrawal for the current insecurity in his country, as government troops battled Taliban militants for control of a southern provincial capital following weekend assaults on urban centers in a major escalation. Fighting raged in Lashkar