Kabul (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Taliban urges EU support for drug reduction, alternative crops, jobs, and treatment efforts.
Taliban’s deputy political chief Abdul Kabir has asked the European Union to back efforts aimed at eliminating drug production, establishing alternative crops, developing job opportunities, and delivering treatment for individuals with substance use disorders.
How does the Taliban plan to replace opium crops?
The proposal was made during a discussion with Veronika Boscovich Pohar, the EU chargé d’affaires in Kabul. This comes amid a recent announcement by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which reported a 19 per cent growth in opium poppy cultivation in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan over the past year. Taliban have always asserted that they have significantly lowered drug cultivation and trafficking in Afghanistan. However, reports and independent reviews have cast doubt on these assertions.
According to a statement from the Taliban-led administration, conferences during the meeting also touched on humanitarian processes and development programs funded by the European Union. The statement cited the EU envoy as emphasizing a commitment to strengthening ties with the Taliban.
How did the Taliban address International concerns?
In the announcement, the Taliban added that Abdul Kabir confirmed to the EU that the group has addressed the international community’s problems regarding Afghanistan. However, participating nations at the recent Moscow Format conference on Afghanistan, including China, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran, published a joint statement encouraging the Taliban to stop “terrorist” groups from exploiting Afghan territory to threaten other countries.
In a different development, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in its 65th quarterly report that the Taliban has “collaborated” with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and al-Qaeda. The report stated,
“The Taliban provides support to TTP and has allowed al-Qaeda to maintain safe havens within Afghanistan.”
