Khaama: The Secretary-General of Iran’s Drug Control Headquarters has rejected the Taliban’s claim about a reduction in poppy cultivation, stating that the statistics indicate an increase in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. Following the dissemination of this report and the Taliban’s claim of a significant reduction in poppy cultivation, Iranian authorities have repeatedly rejected this claim.
8am: Amirabbas Lotfi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Anti-Drug Headquarters, made this announcement on Tuesday, November 28, in response to a recent United Nations report on the reduction of opium cultivation in Afghanistan, according to an ISNA report. Lotfi stated, “The income of Afghan farmers from opium cultivation in the past Gregorian year has suddenly
8am: This former parliament member adds that the Taliban, their families, and supporters are currently cultivating opium in large hidden compounds, each containing multiple acres of land, in remote regions in the southwest of the country, keeping it out of the public eye. He mentions that the leadership of this group is involved in the
Ayaz Gul VOA News November 5, 2023 ISLAMABAD — The United Nations said Sunday the Taliban’s ban on drugs in Afghanistan has resulted in a 95% drop in Afghan cultivation of opium poppies, used to make morphine and heroin. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime documented the “near-total-contraction” of the Afghan opiate economy in its
The Diplomat: The humongous trade is run by regional and multinational cartels with complex and elaborate illicit networks across the region. Politicians, security force personnel, and even the Taliban have been part of this symbiotic nexus, profiteering enormous amounts of money. Amid the anti-poppy measures of the Taliban, a record amount of Afghan drugs moved
WP: One year on, it’s not clear whether the Taliban will soon make a significant dent on a crop that the United Nations estimated accounts for one-tenth of the entire Afghan economy. The country’s poppy farmers supply the raw ingredients that, after being boiled into bricks, refined and exported to Europe via Iran and Pakistan,
Khaama: The US Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West, tweeted that the recent reports on a significant drop in poppy production in the country are “credible and important.” But since the Taliban seized power, Afghanistan’s economy has collapsed, and the population is now facing a severe humanitarian catastrophe. Experts claim that as a result, one
Farmers in southern Afghanistan say they are dismayed at the destruction of their poppy farms by the Taliban government since it assumed control of Afghanistan in 2021. Once a lucrative crop, farmers made a fortune under the former government backed by the West, but the Taliban enforced a strict ban in 2023 to avoid
8am: The number of drug users inside Afghanistan also increased, leading to addiction among many young people and families. In general, the Afghan government and its international allies failed to control drugs. Additionally, despite the propaganda of banning opium cultivation, the Taliban are taking advantage of the drug trade. Therefore, it appears that Afghanistan will
8am: Mohammad Masoud Zahidian, the deputy head of Iran’s anti-narcotics headquarters, says that drug smuggling has increased from the country’s soil. Previously, Indian, Russian and Iranian officials have repeatedly expressed concerns about the increase in drug cultivation, production and trafficking in Afghanistan under the rule of Taliban. Click here to read more (external link).