During the Taliban press conference in Kabul yesterday, they were asked about poppy cultivation.
“We are assuring our countrymen and women and the international community, we will not have produce any narcotics. In 2001, if you remember, we had brought narcotics content production to zero in 2001, but our country was unfortunately occupied by then and the way was paved for reproduction of narcotics even at the level of the government – everybody was involved. But from now on, nobody’s going to get involved, nobody can be involved in drug smuggling. Today, when we entered Kabul, we saw a large number of our youth who were sitting under the bridges or next to the walls and were using narcotics. This was so unfortunate. I got saddened to see these young people without any faith in the future. From now on, Afghanistan will be a narcotics-free country but it needs international assistance. The international community should help us so that we can have alternative crops. We can provide alternative crops. Then, of course, very soon, we can bring it to an end.”
– Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid speaking in Kabul on 8/17.
Zabihullah Mujahid also mocked censorship in the USA saying “This question should be asked to those people who are claiming to be promoters of freedom of speech. Do not allow publication of all information, news, I can ask Facebook company. This question should be asked to them.”
In October 2000, the Taliban began burning poppy fields and giving farmers public lashing for continued poppy cultivation. After the US invasion of Afghanistan, poppy cultivation immediately surged to record production. It has continued to flourish for the entire occupation. It is estimated that over 90% of all the heroin in the entire world now comes from Afghanistan.
Consequently, over ten million people around the world are now hopelessly addicted to Afghan heroin. The worst-hit countries are probably Iran and Pakistan, where heroin addiction is an even bigger national crisis than it is in America. However, heroin addiction in the USA has also steadily risen during the US occupation of Afghanistan.
This report is from 2013:
