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Thousands will die in Europe if poppies not grown in Afghanistan: Spanish official

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A Spanish newspaper has reported that the drastic drop in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has opened a gap for fentanyl in Europe.

 A report from the European Drug Monitoring Center warns of the risk that a possible lack of global supply will be replaced with “more harmful synthetic opiates, such as fentanyl derivatives or nitazenes,” El Pais reported.

“We have no indication that there are synthetic opiates in Spain, but we are all watching with bated breath,” said the government delegate for the National Plan on Drugs, Joan Villalbí.

“The Taliban (IEA) announced that they would ban opium cultivation. We didn’t know if it would be for real or just for show. Now we have the first warnings that it could be happening,” sayid Villalbí. The document also points out another risk that comes from the lack of drugs: an increase in “polysubstances” among heroin users.

“It is a window of opportunity,” admits Barcelona’s chief investigative commissioner Ramon Chacón. “They call it the chaos theory: if poppies are not grown in Kabul, thousands of people will die in Europe,” he said, about the consequences that a hypothetical heroin shortage would have on European markets, with consumers who would move on to more dangerous alternatives. But he insisted that the data so far refute that this scenario is immediately looming over Europe.

Opium poppy production in Afghanistan, previously the world’s top supplier, plummeted by 95 percent since the IEA banned the cultivation of narcotics in 2022, a United Nations report said last year.

IEA has said that it seriously fighting against cultivation and trafficking in Afghanistan.

It has assured countries not to have concerns over the smuggling of drugs from Afghanistan, but help farmers with alternatives.

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Afghanistan received more than $11 billion in humanitarian aid over the past five years

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Afghanistan has received more than $11 billion in humanitarian assistance since the Islamic Emirate returned to power in August 2021, according to United Nations figures cited by the BBC.

Despite the substantial aid, the gap between humanitarian needs and available funding remains wide, with the United Nations warning that millions of Afghans continue to require assistance.

The decline in international funding, a growing number of people in need and the return of millions of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries have added pressure to the country’s humanitarian situation.

Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis deepened following the collapse of the previous government in August 2021. The depreciation of the national currency, the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and reductions in some international support programs further strained the economy and living conditions.

UN data shows that Afghanistan received about $5.2 billion in humanitarian assistance in 2021, followed by around $3.8 billion in 2022 and nearly $2 billion in 2023.

For 2024 and 2025, the United Nations appealed for more than $3 billion to address humanitarian needs in Afghanistan. However, funding fell short of the amounts requested.

The assistance has largely been directed toward food, healthcare, support for returnees and other urgent humanitarian needs.

The United Nations continues to classify Afghanistan as one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, stressing that sustained international support remains essential for millions of Afghans who continue to need assistance.

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Afghanistan expresses condolences over deadly Indonesia earthquake

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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has expressed deep sorrow over a powerful earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, killing at least 53 people and forcing around 5,000 others to evacuate.

A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Flores Island and surrounding areas on Saturday, blocking roads and triggering landslides, Indonesian authorities said.

In a statement, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed its sympathy and condolences to the government and people of Indonesia over the casualties caused by the earthquake.

It also wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the incident.

 

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Afghan commerce minister meets Uzbek deputy prime minister in Termez

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Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, met with Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshed Khojaev in the city of Termez to discuss expanding economic cooperation and joint investment.

The meeting, held on Saturday at the Termez Trade Center, focused on cooperation in the electricity, mining and agriculture sectors, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a statement.

Uzbek officials expressed interest in investing in various sectors in Afghanistan. The Afghan delegation welcomed the interest and emphasized its readiness to create the necessary conditions for expanding economic cooperation and joint investment.

Mohammad Yousuf Wafa, governor of Balkh, and Abdul Ghaffar Bahr, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Tashkent, also attended the meeting.

 

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