The Taliban authorities, who effectively govern Afghanistan, have seized over 6 tons of opium in a single operation aimed at eradicating poppy cultivation.
According to AFP on Tuesday, the Taliban government’s Interior Ministry had confiscated 6,299 kilograms of opium during an operation in the northeastern Takhar province the previous day. Two individuals who had been storing the opium were arrested.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Abdul Matin Qane announced on X that the opium had been stored in a large gas tank. He noted that this was the largest opium seizure since the Taliban regained power following the U.S. military withdrawal in August 2021.
AFP reported that while poppy cultivation traditionally took place in southern Afghanistan, the world’s largest opium-producing region, the Taliban’s 2022 ban on poppy cultivation shifted growing areas to the northeast. Although opium production has significantly declined since the ban, many farmers who rely on poppy cultivation for their livelihoods continue to resist the prohibition.
In December last year, authorities arrested over 100 farmers in the northeastern Badakhshan province for violating the ban. Earlier in May, a deadly confrontation occurred when police attempting to destroy poppy fields clashed with farmers, resulting in multiple fatalities. The United Nations has urged the international community to provide assistance to help Afghan farmers transition to alternative crops and maintain their livelihoods.