US backs new Afghan anti-drug strategy

KANDAHAR CITY (PAN, officials said on Thursday.

The American support was echoed during recent talks between officials of the two countries in Washington, the Afghan officials said.

The new anti-drug strategy shifts most of the attention to southern provinces after a UN report indicated a surge in poppy growth in the south.

The strategy proposes the establishment of a new counternarcotics force in southern zone. It calls for the arrest of notorious drug traffickers and confiscation of their financial resources. It seeks $20 million to be spent in Kandahar on the food zone programme, law enforcement, awareness programmes on drug hazards and some other issues.

Kandahar governor’s spokesman, Javed Faisal, told Pajhwok Afghan News that an Afghan delegation involving Counternarcotics Minister Zarar Ahmad Muqbil, deputy interior minister for counternarcotics affairs, governors of Kandahar, Helmand and Farah provinces had visited the US to discuss the new strategy there.

He said US officials told the Afghan delegation that they would support the new strategy, calling it useful.

Governor Toryalai Weesa said the elimination of narcotics required a result-oriented awareness campaign in addition to physical involvement to eradicate narcotics.

He stressed the food zone project should be implemented according to the needs of location population.

myn/ma

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