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Comment by chewz | Hacker News Reader

On the contrary. Taliban increased poppy fields by 50 percent in 2020 and they are also pushing meth through their channels. Taliban budget estimated at 2 bilion dollars is supported chiefly by opium trade...

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/07/19/taliban-expanding-drug-...

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Questionable story, drugs are a huge taboo for devout muslims. Hard to square with the Taliban rank and file showing strong support for their leaders.

Given all of the other Islamic laws they bend or break, do you really think it’s unlikely that someone desperately in need of operating funds has found a distinction between using drugs themselves and selling them to others?

Believe in what you want to. Or use Google…

https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2021/May/afghanista...

https://theconversation.com/amp/afghanistan-what-the-conflic...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55048147

there is a russian blogger in Kabul, you can use google translate to read his articles, in short there're plenty of heroin addicts in plain sight

https://varlamov.ru/tjm1DhGAHsj

https://varlamov.ru/gLxlGFc6GCc?cda=

https://varlamov.ru/VndQif0KCJw?cda=

a lot of very interesting photos

https://varlamov.ru/p_aaaYHw724

Thanks for sharing. The proof will ultimately be in the pudding, if opium trade goes down or not in a few years time.

Is this intentional, desired policy on their part or more of a "means to an end?" I understood it that, historically, the Taliban were anti-opium. I suppose if Western nations pursue a North Korean containment style policy, that this would continue similar to NK methamphetamine operations.

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