8am: The Drug Control Agency of Tajikistan has refuted the Taliban’s assertion of a decline in drug trafficking from Afghanistan, stating that there is no concrete evidence to support such a reduction. According to a report from the TASS news agency on Monday, February 5th, the Drug Control Agency of Tajikistan (DCA) conveyed that recent intelligence indicates the initiation of drug production in covert laboratories within Afghanistan. Subsequently, these illicit substances are smuggled into Tajikistan before being transported to various other countries. Click here to read more (external link).