𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧

Afghanistan, often considered the epicenter of various activities in Asia, is unfortunately at the forefront of not only rampant terrorism but also a major source of financing these operations through the illicit drug trade, primarily opium production.

𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐮𝐦: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐫 Terrorism in Afghanistan isn’t just about bullets and bloodshed; it thrives on the financial backing generated through drugs too. Opium cultivation has emerged as a pivotal source of funding for terrorism in Central Asia and Pakistan from Afghanistan. Oddly, even with opium fields sprawling across the landscape, the Afghan government appears indifferent to the issue. Even the UN survey acknowledges that opium production has reached new heights this year, hinting at a concerning level of negligence or perhaps complicity within the Afghan government.

𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬: 𝐀 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 The correlation is clear – opium production in Afghanistan is directly proportional to the rise in terrorism. The more opium produced, the more terrorism flourishes. This year, with opium cultivation hitting a peak, terrorism is on the upswing, and unfortunately, it’s not contained within Afghanistan’s borders.

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭: 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐬 It’s not just ruthless mercenaries crossing into neighboring countries from Afghanistan; under the apparent complacency of the Afghan government, drugs are being shipped to neighboring nations. This adds another dimension to the terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, impacting its neighbors.

𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 In 2021, following the Taliban’s takeover, opium cultivation surged by a staggering 32% in 2022. The expansion of opium cultivation from 177,000 hectares in 2021 to 233,000 hectares in 2022 paints a vivid picture of the alarming growth in this illicit trade.

𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 The financial implications are profound. Opium sales, which generated $425 million for farmers in 2021, skyrocketed to a staggering $1.4 billion in 2022. This represents a significant chunk, 29%, of the agricultural sector’s finances in 2021.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬: 𝐎𝐩𝐢𝐮𝐦’𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 The surge in opium cultivation is not uniform across Afghanistan but concentrated in specific provinces. Provinces like Helmand, Kandahar, Badghis, Oruzgan, Farah, Nangarhar, Balkh, Faryab, Badakhshan, and Nimroz have seen opium cultivation increase by 1% to a staggering 52%. As Afghanistan grapples with the repercussions of opium-driven terrorism, it’s evident that addressing this issue is crucial not only for the nation but for the stability of the entire region.

https://twitter.com/TKCkhyber/status/1725107037149778429?t=yY0G-M2mRLnabrhCCZo1xg&s=08