The Taliban Ministry of Interior : 106 hectares of poppy fields destroyed in Badakhshan

The Taliban’s Ministry of Interior has announced that 262 jeribs (106 hectares) of land used for cultivating poppy in Badakhshan, under the jurisdiction of the anti-narcotics police of this ministry, has been eradicated. Abdullah Motin, the spokesperson for this ministry, wrote on X: “Through several separate operations, the police cleared 80 jeribs of land in Darayim district, 70 jeribs in Baharak district, 60 jeribs in Argu district, 30 jeribs in Keshm district, and another 22 jeribs in Faizabad, the central district of this province, of poppy bushes.”

This news comes as 8 days ago, in response to these operations, the districts of Argu and Darayim in Badakhshan witnessed extensive protests during which two individuals were reportedly killed.

In pursuit of these protests, a delegation led by Fasihuddin Fetrat, the chief of staff of the Taliban army, was dispatched to engage in dialogue with the protesters in Badakhshan. It is reported that during this trip, the Taliban delegation agreed to withdraw non-native forces from these two districts.

This is happening while poppy cultivation was widespread in areas under Taliban control before their return to power.