Herat Directorate of Agriculture and Livestock says more than 3,500 boxes of silkworms have been distributed to farmers this year in Zinda Jan, Injil, Guzara and Pashtun Zarghun districts of the province.

This directorate has said that 80 percent of silk work is done in Zinda Jan district.

“We were able to grow about 3,600 boxes with the help of institutions, about 80 percent of which we have grown in Zinda Jan district,” said Khalil Ahmad, general director of Herat agriculture directorate.

“About 20 percent of silkworms have been grown in Injil, Guzara and Pashtun Zarghun districts, which has had good results and the financial status of the farmers has improved.”

The local officials said most work in the silk industry is done by women.

“Almost 60 percent of the silk industry is done by women,” said Ahmad Shah Qawami, head of the silk workers’ union for Zinda Jan district.

This year, the families who are engaged in raising silkworms hope to have good production, now that the silk season is over and many are working to separate the silk thread.

However, the farmers are not satisfied with this year’s market conditions.

“The silk market is weak this year, it was good last year, it was very advanced,” said a silk worker.

The silk industry in Herat has a history dating back 600 years, and many families have preserved this ancient profession.

Silkworms usually feed on the leaves of mulberry trees, which grow in these regions. The industry also provides a livelihood to hundreds of men and women in the area.

Herat provincial officials say that 500 drug addicts who have recently recovered in this province will be provided with job opportunities.

The officials of the counter-narcotics department in Herat said that an agreement has been signed with salt and coal mining companies to employ hundreds of recovered drug addicts in the province.

Currently, almost 300 addicts who have recovered in the last four months are working in the salt mine of Ghurian district of Herat.

These addicts were under treatment for four to five months, officials said.

According to the officials, since the beginning of the program to create work opportunities for drug addicts, 291 people have been included in the work schemes.

“The people we transfer will have every means of facilities,” said Nasir Omid, head of a salt mining company in Herat.

Drug addicts were rounded up in Herat in winter and housed in treatment facilities.

“Around five thousand drug addicts were rounded up and taken to addiction treatment centers,” local officials said.

The Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) confirmed Thursday that five employees of the 207th Al-Farooq Corps in Herat were killed in an attack.

The ministry said that the employees were killed and several others were injured as a result of an attack by unknown gunmen who targeted a Coaster mini bus carrying medical personnel from the Corps.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for this attack.

On Thursday morning, local sources said that armed men attacked the vehicle carrying the employees of Al-Farooq military corps from inside a rickshaw in Joy Injil area of Herat city.

The IEA’s Ministry of Defense has said that the enemy cannot “weaken the determination of defense employees and personnel” by launching such attacks. The ministry has said that it will suppress the enemies.