“NATO and US forces responsible for reducing Afghanistan’s production of opium poppies, a key precursor to the illegal drug heroin, are only targeting ‘drug barons’ allied with the country’s Taliban-led insurgency, Ivanov said.
“This policy has left untouched members of Afghanistan’s illegal drug industry that are allied with either local warlords or the central government – which has led to a massive narcotics production spike in the country, Ivanov said.
“‘We see the results, and they are saddening. Narcotics production (in Afghanistan) has increased by a factor of 40. There is a humanitarian catastrophe and collosal unemployment, and this has created ideal conditions for the narcotics trade,’ he said.”
