Afghanistan: Kandahar officials destroy over 13,000 kg of seized narcotics

Kandahar [Afghanistan], August 22 (ANI): Officials in Kandahar said that since last year, they have seized 13,332 kilograms of narcotics being smuggled into the country through Spin Boldak from Pakistan, Tolo News reported.

During a public burning of the seized drugs in Spin Boldak district, officials stated that the confiscated substances included opium, hashish, opium derivatives, tablets, crystal meth, and chemicals used in drug processing, Tolo News reported.

Esmatullah Yaqub, director of the Counter-Narcotics Department of Kandahar Police Command, said, "The drugs being burned in front of you today total 13,332 kilograms, most of which were brought from across the Durand Line," Tolo News reported.

Asadullah Jamshid, spokesperson for Kandahar Police Command, added, "Over the past year, narcotics including mainly opium, hashish, and opium derivatives were seized in Spin Boldak by the counter-narcotics department," Tolo News reported.

Officials said 30 people have been arrested in connection with these drugs.

Citizens have called on security officials to increase efforts to eliminate narcotics from society. Bahram, a resident of Kandahar, said, "Our children have been ruined by these substances, and the new generation is becoming addicted. It's a good step to burn them. We must work on creating job opportunities and increase support for people."

Another resident, Sayed Mohammad, said, "These drugs enter through the Spin Boldak gate. It's a good initiative by the authorities to ban and now destroy them. We are happy."

According to officials, with the eradication of drug cultivation in Kandahar, drug trafficking has significantly decreased, Tolo News reported.

This development comes as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China, at their sixth trilateral meeting of foreign ministers in Kabul, stressed the need to enhance cooperation against regional terrorist organisations, including Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), highlighting that controlling the drug trade is a key part of tackling terrorism and ensuring regional security, Tolo News added.

Pakistan's special representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, said the three countries reached an understanding to step up efforts against terror outfits. "The three sides committed to strengthen joint efforts against terrorist organisations, including TTP, BLA, ETIM and other regional and international terrorist outfits," he stated.

According to Tolo News, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar also addressed the matter during a joint press conference with his Chinese counterpart in Islamabad. "These mechanisms reflect our shared determination to promote regional peace, stability, prosperity, and to share the benefits among Pakistan, China, and friendship with other regional countries and beyond," he said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi highlighted the significance of economic cooperation, particularly under CPEC. "China and Pakistan are pioneers in implementing the Global Development Initiative, and the expansion of CPEC has not only benefited the people of both countries but has also extended to other countries including Afghanistan," he noted.

Although no joint statement was issued after the Kabul meeting, the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said the discussions focused on enhancing relations among the three countries in political, economic, and transit sectors, Tolo News reported.

Experts, however, expressed mixed views on the significance of the gathering. Military affairs analyst Kamran Aman remarked, "Pakistan is playing a dual game with us through China to achieve its objectives via Afghanistan. On one hand, it tries to show the world that we support TTP and the Baloch separatist groups, providing evidence of it. On the other hand, it's about capital, trade, and investment. We are witnessing that our trade with Pakistan has decreased by 28% compared to last year."

Political analyst Mohammad Aslam Danishmal also weighed in on the outcomes of the talks. "The trilateral meeting between Afghanistan, China, and Pakistan creates some opportunities in terms of political engagement and expanding connections, but there are also some negative aspects," he said, as quoted by Tolo News.

Tolo News further reported that both Pakistan's and China's foreign ministers arrived in Kabul to attend the meeting, which was hosted at the Presidential Palace. (ANI)

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