Afghan troops destroy narcotics worth millions of dollars

Afghan troops waged an anti-drug operation and destroyed a large amount of narcotics in eastern Paktia province on Friday, the command of Afghan Special Forces said.

"Afghan security forces backed by the (NATO) coalition forces carried out a special operation in Paktia province, destroying over 190,000 kg hashish, 1,700 kg of opium and 18 kg of heroin in Paktia province," it said in a statement.

The destroyed drugs have been estimated at over 44 million U.S. dollars, according to the statement.

The destruction of the drugs was a heavy blow for insurgents and anti-government militants as they have been using profits from the illegal drugs to fund insurgency, the statement noted.

No further details were available about the operation which was launched in the province, 100 km south of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan.

Much of the world's opium poppy is cultivated in the militancy-hit country, particularly in western and southern parts of the country, where government security forces have little presence.

Some 4,800 tons of opium have been produced this year in Afghanistan, home to some 1.9 million to 2.4 million adult drug addicts, according to figures released by the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics.

source: Xinhua