RASC News Agency: Nikolai Patrushev, the Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, has issued a warning regarding the presence of drug stockpiles in Afghanistan under Taliban control, which are being smuggled from this country to Central Asian nations. According to the RIANOVOSTI news agency, citing Nikolai Patrushev, the Secretary of Russia’s National Security Council, in a report published on Friday, Feb 16, drug trafficking from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to Central Asia continues unabated.
In the RIANOVOSTI report, Patrushev addressed this issue during a session in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, which focused on Afghanistan, emphasizing this flow as a significant threat to the region. The Russian official further elaborated that drug production in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is conducted at a heightened level, with traffickers exploiting this situation to the fullest.
Meanwhile, drug production and trafficking in Afghanistan under Taliban control have long been concerns raised by regional and global stakeholders. Recently, the Tajikistan Drug Control Agency also refuted the Taliban’s claim of reducing drug production and trafficking in Afghanistan as inaccurate. They asserted that drug production in Afghanistan takes place in clandestine locations and is smuggled into Central Asia.
