Afghan Taliban reject UN report on drugs in Afghanistan

By Anadolu staff

The Afghan interim administration on Wednesday rejected a UN report on drugs in Afghanistan and said the Taliban completely banned drugs in the war-torn country.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said they rejected a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as Afghanistan is now free from drugs.

“Our government has taken very important steps to eliminate drugs in Afghanistan, including a ban on poppy cultivation, trade, and drug smuggling across the country,” Mujahid said in a statement sent to Anadolu.

The UNODC in its latest report said that since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in 2021, heroin trafficking has continued at a reduced rate, while methamphetamine trafficking has surged.

"Methamphetamine trafficking is expanding at a staggering pace. Across Afghanistan and neighboring countries, there was nearly a twelvefold surge in seizures, from 2.5 tons in 2017 to 29.7 tons in 2021," said the UNODC.

"Within Afghanistan, annual seizures rapidly rose from less than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) in 2019 to nearly 2,700 kg (5,962 pounds) in 2021, suggesting increased production," it said.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid