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Islamic Emirate’s narcotics policy has ‘devastated’ livelihoods in rural areas: ICG 

Farmers have lost an estimated $1.3 billion annually, or eight percent of GDP in 2023. 

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The International Crisis Group (ICG) has said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) anti-drug policies provide an opportunity to stabilize the country’s economy although it has “devastated livelihoods in rural areas”.

ICG, an international think-tank, said in a report published Thursday, titled ‘Trouble In Afghanistan’s Opium Fields: The Taliban War On Drugs’, that the Islamic Emirate’s ban has been “one of the most successful poppy elimination efforts in modern history.” 

Late last year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said opium cultivation fell throughout the country to just 10,800 hectares in 2023 from 233,000 hectares the previous year, slashing supply by 95 percent following the Islamic Emirate’s ban on all cultivation of opium poppy in April 2022.

However, the report warns that as long as rural Afghans lack alternative livelihood opportunities, the likelihood of large-scale displacement and rising emigration will remain high.

The international think tank, known for policymaking advisories, said: “Making the narcotics policy (of the interim administration) sustainable and equitable will require a multilateral effort between Afghanistan and the outside world.”

“In the meantime, the Taliban (IEA) should adopt more lenient measures as it implements its eradication campaign to enable the poorest farmers and those most impacted by the ban to gradually transition away from the poppy as a cash crop,” ICG stated.

“The anti-drug initiative is in many foreign actors’ interest, creating opportunities for donors to support Afghanistan’s economic stabilization” – ICG

However, legal crops will not offer sufficient employment, so the focus should be on job creation in non-farm industries, the group suggested.

ICG also stated that the ban’s future is uncertain; although the Islamic Emirate is adamant about implementing it, “it could collapse under the weight of economic hardship.”

“Foreign donors, who have much to gain from reduced drug production in Afghanistan, should harness the Taliban’s (IEA) zeal for counter-narcotics and encourage licit economic growth. In the meantime, the Taliban should consider the welfare of the poorest farmers and implement a phased approach to the ban.”

By UN estimates, the halt to opium farming has affected the livelihoods of almost seven million people and while underworld kingpins and big landowners have thrived under the ban, reaping the benefits of skyrocketing prices by selling stockpiles, many farmers have suffered. 

Farmers have lost an estimated $1.3 billion annually, or eight percent of GDP in 2023. 

Farm work remains the biggest source of employment for Afghan women and the ban has hit them especially hard and the economic shock has been compounded by the Islamic Emirate’s limited capacity to offer farmers and rural workers alternatives. 

“Many switched to cultivating wheat or cotton, but struggle to make ends meet. Development of licit agriculture would require more irrigation, cold storage facilities and better roads. The Taliban does not have the budget to develop such infrastructure. 

“Meanwhile, the opium price has soared, tempting farmers to flout the ban,” ICG said.

“While the Taliban’s measures have shaken the drug sector to its very foundations, the future of the ban remains in doubt. 

“Some experts predict that its economic impact will force the Taliban to backtrack on a signature policy. Of course, it is also possible that the Taliban leadership will remain stubborn and steadfast,” ICG stated. 

The group stated that support could focus on rural development, agricultural support, water conservation and investments in agro-processing. 

“But the reality is that a drug-free agricultural sector will not provide enough jobs, so the country needs a development plan focusing more broadly on non-farm employment, including for women.” 

ICG stated that a full transition away from the dependence on narcotics as a cash crop will take time. Instead, the Islamic Emirate “should show a bit of leniency.”

“Adopting more lenient practices such as turning a blind eye to small garden plots of poppy and cannabis would give the poorest farmers a better chance of survival in the coming years. Farmers selling tiny amounts of opium for prices hundreds of times higher than what is paid for other crops would give them a lifeline without jeopardizing the ban’s overall objectives,” the report stated.

 

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Khalilzad warns Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions likely to worsen after fresh airstrikes

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Former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has warned that the latest Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan and recent violence inside Pakistan are part of a wider crisis, saying he sees no indication that the situation is about to change.

In a post on X on Thursday, Khalilzad described the Pakistani airstrikes that have killed Afghan civilians and the increasing use of force against civilians in Pakistan as “interconnected tragedies,” implying both effected by Pakistan’s establishment.

“Unfortunately, I do not see any signs of change,” Khalilzad said, adding that current indicators suggested the use of force against Pakistanis would “likely get worse” in the coming days.

His comments came after Pakistan carried out a new wave of airstrikes inside Afghanistan overnight Thursday, saying it had targeted 10 locations used to launch and store drones.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes were conducted in response to drones launched from Afghan territory a day earlier and described them as “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate.”

Afghan officials said the strikes killed four civilians. The attacks reportedly hit locations including Kandahar, Khost and Paktia provinces. Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate authorities have denied launching the drones cited by Pakistan and have condemned the strikes.

The latest attacks follow Pakistani airstrikes earlier this week in Kunar and Paktika. Pakistan said those operations killed 28 militants, while the United Nations confirmed that three Afghan civilians — a man, a woman and a girl — were killed, with four others injured.

The renewed airstrikes come amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to operate from its territory and launch attacks inside Pakistan.

Afghan authorities reject the allegations and say militancy inside Pakistan is an internal issue.

Khalilzad has previously called for a change in Pakistan’s strategy toward both its internal security problems and Afghanistan.

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Afghanistan summons Pakistani chargé d’affaires over latest airstrikes

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Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires to Kabul and lodged a strong protest against the violation of Afghan airspace and Pakistani military airstrikes on several Afghan provinces.

The ministry handed the Pakistani diplomat a formal protest note following the attacks on Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces on Wednesday night, which reportedly caused civilian casualties.

The Islamic Emirate strongly condemned the strikes, calling them a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and contrary to Islamic, international, humanitarian and good-neighborly principles.

The ministry also rejected what it called baseless claims that Afghan territory was being used as a source of Pakistan’s recent security incidents.

It said using such claims to justify military action was an attempt to distort facts, mislead public opinion and conceal Pakistan’s internal failures.

The Islamic Emirate further accused Pakistan’s military leadership of avoiding commitments made to regional countries and warned that such actions could further escalate tensions in the region.

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Museum dedicated to preserving ‘Jihadi’ artefacts opens in Kandahar

The museum’s collection includes more than 100 items gathered from different locations.

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A museum dedicated to preserving what Afghan authorities describe as “Jihadi artefacts” has officially opened in Kandahar, with officials saying more than 100 items have so far been collected for display.

Mufti Mohammad Tahir Ahmad, Director General for the Preservation of Jihadi Artefacts at the Ministry of Information and Culture, attended the inauguration ceremony alongside Qari Ahmadullah Saeed Khosti, Director of Registration for Jihadi Artefacts and Documents.

Mufti Inamullah Samangani, head of the Kandahar Information and Culture Department, and officials from several government departments also attended the ceremony.

According to the official responsible for preserving the artefacts in Kandahar, the museum’s collection includes more than 100 items gathered from different locations.

The collection includes weapons that officials say were captured from British, Soviet and US forces, as well as personal belongings and other items associated with people killed during Afghanistan’s conflicts over the past two decades.

Officials said efforts to collect additional artefacts would continue in order to expand the museum’s collection.

The museum is now open to visitors, according to the officials.

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