The United Nations says in a report that Taliban militants run the production of heroin and other narcotics in the south of the country, making millions of dollars.

The UN research group said that the Taliban have recently formed a team named ‘regulation’ which is responsible to produce and smuggle the narcotics to the borders with neighboring countries.

The government says it hopes that the peace deal between Taliban and the United States could cause cut of Taliban relations with trafficking groups.

The report said that Taliban cultivate opium and produce narcotics to resolve their financial problems.

According to the report, Taliban have built heroin manufacturers in the provinces of Farah and Badghis.

The report says that Taliban distribute 60 per cent of drug glass produced in Farah and Badghis to the addicts inside the country and smuggle the rest to Iran, South Africa, Australia and Central Asian states with the cooperation of international mafia.

Taliban’s regulation team is mostly focusing on the drug production in Nangarhar province in the east and watches its trade to the South East Asian countries.

“Narcotics are the biggest financial sources for Taliban and it helps them to intensify their war activities,” said Mohammad Ashraf Naseri, former provincial governor for Zabul in the south.

He said that drug mafia and Taliban encourage rural people to cultivate opium because they get profit from this.

Taliban’s spokesman in a text statement denied the report that they have hands behind drug trade, but the SIGAR and Pentagon had earlier accused the group of being involved in the narcotics activities, saying that the militants make 1.5 billion dollars annually from this business.

http://www.afghanistantimes.af/taliban-runs-opiate-production-and-trafficking-in-afghanistan-un-says/