Taliban’s duality in the fight against drugs; poppy is safe in the south, banned in the north.
Following strong protests from the people of Khash district of Badakhshan province against the destruction of poppy fields, the Taliban were forced to leave the area.
Local sources say public anger has escalated as people find the Taliban’s double standard and discriminatory approach to dealing with poppy cultivation in the north and south of the country intolerable.
The Taliban have been destroying poppy fields in Khash in recent days, according to sources, while drug cultivation and production continue unabated in the southern provinces of the country, particularly Helmand and Kandahar, which are the Taliban’s main strongholds and are mostly Pashtun.
As protests intensified on Friday, June 20, local residents set five Taliban-owned tractors on fire. Sources confirm that the Taliban have left Khash district in response to the wave of discontent.
Reports indicate that Amanuddin, a Taliban commander in Badakhshan, entered the area and tried to silence the protesters with threats;
But people have warned that they will not allow the Taliban to target only non-Pashtun areas while poppy is grown freely in Pashtun-dominated areas.
Protesters have called for an end to the Taliban’s “systematic discrimination” in drug policies and said they will not allow any group to destroy their fields until justice is served.
