PUL-I-ALAM (Pajhwok): Some provincial council members on Tuesday claimed drug smugglers paid money to Taliban insurgents for creating insecurity in central Logar province.
The PC head, Hasibullah Stanikzai, told Pajhwok Afghan News insecurity enabled drug smugglers to easily transfer narcotics from one place to another and that was why they paid money to the Taliban.
He said the smugglers used to transfer drugs from eastern Nangarhar province into Charkh and Kharwar districts of Logar on their way to southern Ghazi province and then Iran.
“The smugglers, in order to easily transfer their drugs, provide financial support to the Taliban for creating insecurity in areas of their choice,” the public representative said.
He said the Kharwar district served as a huge storage facility for drug smugglers and security forces could not deal with the powerful smugglers.
Another member of the provincial council, Muhibullah Saleh, said security forces had failed to prevent drug smuggling through the province.
He said if the situation persisted, a large number of youth would become drug addicts and the Taliban would become financially strong.
He claimed they had evidence that showed drug smuggling was ongoing via Logar, which served as a safe passage for the smugglers.
He said drugs were smuggled into Logar from eastern provinces over the past three years and sent abroad from here.
A resident of the Kharwar district, wishing not to be named, told Pajhwok Afghan News drugs were in abundance in the district despite zero cultivation of poppy crop.
“The government is confined to the district centre only and the rest is being controlled by the Taliban. Many people of our area are involved in drug smuggling and the Taliban take money from each vehicle smuggling the drugs,” the resident said.
Logar police chief Brig. Gen. Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai also said Logar had turned into a transit route for drug smuggling. He said smugglers were able to transfer drugs from one place to another due to the fewer number of under-resourced police personnel.
The police chief said he had raised the issue with the ministries of counternarcotics and interior, but failed to elicit a positive response.
“The smugglers also possess light and heavy weapons. When they encounter police, they flee after a brief clash.”
Officials at the provincial police headquarters said a large quantity of drugs had been seized and several smugglers arrested during the past one year.
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