The Taliban’s counter-narcotics officials announced that their leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, instructed a poppy cultivation assessment in Afghanistan this year.
Abdul Haq Mutie, who leads the Taliban-run Interior Ministry’s counter-narcotics survey and analysis unit, made this statement during a press conference in Kandahar on Sunday.
Matie revealed that the survey will be conducted in a specialized and technical manner across Afghanistan to assess the current year’s poppy cultivation level.
The Taliban has asserted that the purpose of initiating this survey is to combat drug use, although the exact commencement time of the survey is currently undetermined.
The Taliban, however, is said to be seeking international assistance by alleging that they will conduct a survey of poppy farms in Afghanistan.
Earlier, the Taliban’s Acting Interior Minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, had requested a sum of one billion dollars in financial assistance to combat the drug trade.
The Taliban’s request for international aid to tackle the drug trade comes amidst reports of a significant increase in opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. The group’s alleged plan to survey poppy farms may be viewed as a proactive measure to address the drug problem and potentially garner support from the international community in their efforts.
