KABUL: Taliban foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi has rejected a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad concerning a joint operation by U.S. and Pakistani authorities against an alleged Afghan narcotics shipment bound for Sri Lanka.
The U.S. Embassy said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), working with Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), had seized 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine valued at more than $21 million. U.S. officials said the drugs were linked to Afghan smuggling networks and that several people had been arrested.
Responding to the statement, Balkhi said the cultivation and smuggling of narcotics in Afghanistan had been completely stopped. He rejected the suggestion that Afghanistan was currently a source of the alleged shipment.
The Taliban administration has repeatedly claimed that its ban on poppy cultivation and its counter-narcotics measures have significantly reduced drug production inside Afghanistan. International assessments, however, have documented continued concerns about illicit drug trafficking and the movement of narcotics through the region.
The dispute comes as Pakistan and the Taliban authorities remain engaged in a broader disagreement over security and cross-border issues.
The U.S. and Pakistani authorities have emphasized cooperation against international narcotics trafficking, while Taliban officials have sought to highlight their counter-narcotics policies.
The competing statements reflect differing positions over the origin and trafficking routes of illicit drugs in the region. Further details from the authorities involved would be required to establish the origin of the seized shipment and its precise links to Afghanistan.