Iranian Official:

Presence of Foreign Forces Ineffective in Fighting Drugs, Terrorism in Afghanistan

Secretary-General of Iran's Drug Control Headquarters Brigadier General Eskandar Momeni stressed that deployment of foreign forces in Afghanistan has not helped the fight against drug trafficking and terrorist groups.

News ID: 447607

Date: 06 November 2019 - 23:12

RNA - Over 800 tons of drugs were seized last year, major portion of which was while confronting transit of narcotics to western states, General Momeni said in a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Iran Chang Hua late on Tuesday.

He added that presence of trans-regional forces under the excuse of fighting drugs and terrorism in Afghanistan is totally ineffective.

General Momeni also referred to Iran-China historic ties, and said that the relations were excellent in all fields in all historic eras, but despite current strong bilateral ties in all domains, there is further room for promoting mutual cooperation in fighting drugs.

Given its adjacency to Afghanistan and being a conduit for transit of drugs over the past 40 years, Iran has conducted an all-out fight against drugs, he said.

"Iran has used all its power in the fight against drugs and presence of trans-regional forces to fight drugs and terrorism in Afghanistan was totally ineffective," General Momeni said, adding that Drugs are the enemy of humanity and that's for the same reason Iran is campaigning against it and some 3,800 forces have so far lost their lives in this way.

Iran is in the forefront of the fight against drug trafficking and thousands of Iranian police forces have been so far martyred to protect the world from the danger of drugs.

According to Fars News Agency, the Iranian anti-narcotic police have always staged periodic operations against drug traffickers and dealers, but reports - which among others indicate an improved and systematic dissemination of information - reveal that the world's most forefront and dedicated anti-narcotic force (as UN drug-campaign assessments put it) has embarked on a long-term countrywide plan to crack down on the drug trade since more than a decade ago.

Also, in April, Iranian Police Chief Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari had described Iran as a pioneering state in campaign against drug trafficking, and said, "We have declared our information and needs to the international organizations and I should say that we have not pinned hope on their aid."

"We do not have hope that the international organizations can seriously confront" the cultivation and production of narcotics in Afghanistan, General Ashtari said.

The Iranian police officials maintain that drug production in Afghanistan has undergone a 50-fold increase since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.

Afghan and western officials blame Washington and NATO for the change, saying that allies have "overlooked" the drug problem since invading the country 18 years ago.

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