Muristek
Kabul, April 3
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban announced a ban on Sunday on poppy production, even as farmers across the country began harvesting the bright red flower that produces the opium used to make heroin.
The order warns farmers that their crops will be burned and they can be jailed if they proceed with the harvest. The ban is reminiscent of the Taliban's previous rule in the late 1990s when the religion-driven movement outlawed poppy production.
At that time, the ban was staggered and implemented countrywide within two years. The UN verified that production had been eradicated in most of the country. However, after their ouster in 2001 farmers in many parts of the country reportedly plowed over their wheat fields — which had been almost impossible to bring to market because of the lack of roads and infrastructure — and returned to poppy production.
During the last years of the Taliban rule, wheat was rotting in fields because the farmers were unable to bring it to market to be sold and ground into flour.
Poppies are the main source of income for millions of small farmers and day labourers who can earn upwards of USD 300 a month harvesting them and extracting the opium. — AP
One killed, dozens hurt in Kabul blast
Kabul: An explosion in the centre of Kabul on Sunday killed a person and wounded at least 59 others, hospital officials said. A spokesman for the Taliban's Kabul police, Khalid Zadran, said the explosion was caused by a hand grenade thrown by a would-be thief who wanted to rob the money changers in the area. AP