Taliban Interior Ministry reports destruction of poppy fields in six Afghan provinces

The Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, as the Taliban call the country) claimed that the drug police destroyed 800 acres of poppy fields in the course of several operations in six provinces. This was reported by Ariana News.

356 acres of poppy crops were destroyed in the center and districts of Yaftal-e-Payan, Arganj Khwa, Kishim and Shahri Buzurg in Badakhshan province; 338 acres in Gulbahar and Jabal Saraj districts of Parwan province; 62 acres in Darah Sof in Samangan Province; 30 acres of land in Andrab, Doshi and Borka districts of Baghlan province; 8 acres in Alisheng District, Laghman Province; 7 acres in the Manogi district of Kunar province.

“The drug problem in Afghanistan is being addressed. This year the poppy growing in the country in general is close to zero. Even if someone grew it in remote mountainous areas, the crops were destroyed,” Mujahid said. “There is also the problem of drug trafficking, and every day we are witnessing arrests. In the near future, inshallah, this will also drop to zero.”

He also assured neighboring countries that they should now worry about drug smuggling from Afghanistan, but should rather cooperate with the government and the people to counter drug industry and help in the search for alternative crops to replace poppy.