The Taliban recently published the Eid message of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s supreme leader, on June 25th. The message, attributed to Mullah Hibatullah, can be divided into three main parts. The first part revolves around narrating verses and hadiths that emphasize the importance of sacrificing for God. In this section, Mullah Hibatullah consistently references verses and hadiths related to sacrifice, urging people to do the same. Moreover, Mullah Hibatullah perceives the people as indebted to him and commands them to express gratitude to God for their role as “owners of the Islamic system.”
The second part of the message provides a report on the Taliban’s actions over the past two years, while also instilling fear and threat. In this section, Mullah Hibatullah discusses the requirement of wearing the hijab and takes pride in implementing Hudud and retribution justice. The issuance of such strict orders, conflicting with human values, is intended to further intimidate the population.
The third part of Mullah Hibatullah’s Eid message is aimed at a foreign audience, although it is unlikely to be taken seriously by anyone. He calls for brotherhood and tolerance among Islamic countries involved in the war. However, his genuine request to establish normal relations with the world, particularly Islamic nations, should be taken seriously. In this article, we will focus on a specific portion of Mullah Hibatullah’s message: the sentences meant to inform the people of Afghanistan and portray the group as deserving international recognition.
Since June 26th coincides with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, this article will concentrate on this particular aspect of the Taliban leader’s Eid message. In one of his statements, Mullah Hibatullah claims, “Thanks to the constructive and effective actions of the Islamic Emirate, the cultivation of narcotics has significantly decreased. Our noble compatriots, guided by Islamic principles, have willingly transitioned to alternative livelihoods without any coercion or assistance from the international community. The benefits of this initiative are becoming more evident day by day. Additionally, the importation, production, and usage of narcotics have been strictly banned, thereby safeguarding a large number of our compatriots, especially the younger generation, from its harmful effects.”
Mullah Hibatullah is referring to his decree on the prohibition of drug cultivation, issued on April 6, 2022. The decree clearly states that no one should engage in narcotics cultivation, usage, transfer, sale, trade, import, or export. Violators of this decree are warned of severe punishment.
However, when this decree was initially issued, contrary to Mullah Hibatullah’s current claims and emphasis to the people of Afghanistan and governments worldwide, drug production and trafficking did not decrease. In fact, reports indicated an increase in such activities. In November of the previous year, the United Nations Office on Narcotic Drugs reported that 233,000 hectares of land in Afghanistan were dedicated to poppy cultivation, representing a threefold increase compared to 2021. Meanwhile, the Taliban themselves have taken control of this illicit market by banning the cultivation and production of drugs.
The Taliban’s alleged involvement in the drug trade has been widely reported, with reports indicating that they collect drugs from the market and sell them at inflated prices, reaching up to AFN 60,000 Afghani per kilogram or even higher. By issuing this decree, Mullah Hibatullah reaped various benefits. On one hand, he seized the drug profits from farmers and distributed them among his commanders. On the other hand, he created a platform for extorting poppy-growing farmers. Lastly, he aimed to present himself as a legitimate governing authority to the world. Mullah Hibatullah’s Eid message now claims that the Taliban have fulfilled their “duty” to engage with the international community. One of these supposed obligations is their fight against drugs, as proclaimed by the Taliban.
However, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report refutes the Taliban leader’s assertion that the cultivation and trade of narcotics are nearly eradicated. This organization, citing the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, reported a month ago that Afghanistan accounted for 80% of the global drug market demand in 2022. Furthermore, last year, the head of UNAMA, Roza Otenbayeva, stated that Afghanistan supplied 85% of the world’s narcotics. Even after the Taliban issued a decree prohibiting the cultivation of narcotics, they later released another decree attributed to Mullah Hibatullah, banning the cultivation of cannabis. This decree was issued on March 18, 2023. Just a few days after its issuance, reports emerged that 300 hectares of land in Badakhshan had been planted with marijuana. Considering that the Taliban have control over Badakhshan, these reports indicate that the fight against drugs is merely a slogan and a political game for the Taliban.
Countries situated along Afghanistan’s drug transit routes have also voiced concerns about increased production and smuggling. Iran serves as a crucial transit route for these illicit substances. They are transported from provinces such as Uruzgan, Helmand, and Kandahar, among others, to Farah, where processing factories are located. Subsequently, they enter Iranian territory to meet the country’s market demand and are then smuggled to Turkey before reaching Europe and Africa. Recently, an Iranian official commented on the rise in drug production and smuggling from Afghanistan. Alireza Kazemi, the Acting Secretary General of Iran’s Anti-Narcotics Headquarters, stated last week that the Taliban’s control had not led to a reduction in drug production and transit, dismissing it as a mere slogan. On the contrary, the situation continues to worsen. This highlights that the Afghan side’s actions were nothing more than empty rhetoric.
The fight against drugs, like other activities of the Taliban, appears to be a mere media spectacle. Even if they engage in minimal construction work, they advertise it as if they have discovered the secret of eternal life. As part of their supposed fight against drugs, one action taken by the Taliban is the collection of drug addicts from Kabul city. Despite numerous reports highlighting the lack of proper facilities in provincial hospitals for drug addiction treatment, they continue this process of collecting drug addicts. This action also seems more like a show, as instead of providing proper treatment, the Taliban engage in preaching, advising, or even administering sleeping pills to the addicts.
The Taliban, who have destroyed thousands of bridges and culverts in the span of 20 years, now highlight the painting of a single bridge, the Pol-e-Sokhta bridge, as a remarkable achievement during their nearly three decades of presence and activity. They advertise this achievement fervently, as if the Taliban Emirate has discovered a new planet or saved us from greenhouse gases and global warming. To draw more attention to the painted bridge, they decorate it with flowers one day and set up reading tables in the busiest area of Kabul city, organizing book fairs on the sidewalks the next day. At night, they illuminate the bridge with colorful lights, aiming to create the impression that the Taliban have successfully painted a bridge after almost thirty years, a bridge that, if they had gained control of it a few years ago, would have been blown up like the bridges and culverts on the Kabul-Kandahar route or destroyed like the Logar Road.
Therefore, when discussing the Taliban’s fight against drugs, whether in their orders or the messages of their leader, it is simply part of the same theatrical performance. The Taliban view drugs as a strategic reserve. They understand that foreign aid may not be sustained indefinitely and are well aware of the rapidly changing political dynamics in Afghanistan. If the flow of money into Afghanistan is restricted or blocked under their control, they will not be able to finance all their expenses solely by extorting funds from legitimate businesses. To secure a steady source of income and to safeguard against potential sanctions, the Taliban heavily rely on narcotics and even collect tithes from drug production. There have been reports in the past of Mullah Omar’s son-in-law traveling from Pakistan to Uruzgan to collect opium tithes. Drugs have been fueling the Taliban’s war machine for years. Their actions against drugs do not constitute a genuine fight; rather, they seek to maintain control over the drug trade. The Taliban will not easily abandon the lucrative benefits derived from drug cultivation, production, and trade.