8am: Farhad Basharyar, a counternarcotics expert, says drug trafficking is one of the Taliban’s sources of funding. According to him, the Taliban have set up drug processing laboratories inside Afghanistan. He claims that these laboratories previously operated in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The expert believes that the dependence of part of the Taliban’s revenue on the drug trade, together with broad demand in global markets, is among the factors behind the continuation of trafficking. He adds that alongside natural drugs, the spread of synthetic drugs, including narcotic tablets, methamphetamine (known as “shisha”) and crystal meth, has also become a serious challenge in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).