NATO joins drug trafficking fight in Afghanistan

Almaty. November 21. Silkroadnews - NATO forces have started anti-drug operations in Afghanistan to destroy drug labs, the Afghan Telegraph Agency (AfTAG) reports referring to the statement of the Afghan Presidential Palace’ press service on Monday.
The first such operation took place last night in the southern province of Helmand, the country’s major poppy growing region, where airstrikes hit 8 clandestine drug production centers. Future operations have been planned to hit drug laboratories in the same province - in particular, in the districts of Sangin, Musa Qala, Kajaki and Nawzad.
To remind, last week the UN Office on Drugs and Crime published a report saying the opium production in Afghanistan grew 87%, up to 9 thousand tonnes.
Initially, the new US strategy for Afghanistan, providing for the U.S. troops expansion, covered only terrorism countering measures, however at present the command of NATO’s mission “Resolute Support” has begun operations to combat drug trafficking, which is one of the largest sources of the country’s anti-government activities funding.