KABUL
\nThe Afghan Taliban said on Tuesday they have quelled protests in a northern province over security forces\u2019 attempts to eradicate opium poppy cultivation which generates income for many impoverished farmers.
\nTaliban authorities were holding meetings in Badakhshan, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a Whatsapp message, after several days of protests, in which two people were killed.
\nMujahid said in a separate statement that a delegation from Kabul, led by the defence chief of staff, would this week travel to Badakhshan to investigate, a rare official acknowledgement of civil disturbance since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
\nSince then, they have vowed to restore control over the entire war-torn nation and have at times forcefully broken up protests in urban areas, especially against decisions that restrict women from education and many workplaces.
\n\u201cThe Badakhshan issue can be solved,\u201d Mujahid said.
\n\u201cTwo of our countrymen lost their lives during the clashes, their rights will be observed,\u201d he said, adding that authorities would meet with relatives and make a decision over compensation for their deaths.
\nInternational research firm Alcis released research, opens new tab based on satellite data last year showing there had been a drastic reduction of opium production in most provinces between 2022 and 2023, often by more than 90%. However it noted that in Badakhshan, the amount of land used for poppy growing had grown.
\nMujahid did not elaborate on the cause of the deaths. Local broadcaster Tolo reported that the two had been killed as the protests became violent and security forces opened fire late last week.
\nZabihullah Amiri, head of the Taliban-run provincial government\u2019s media department, said that an official delegation from the provincial capital had travelled to the two districts to hold meetings and that the areas were now \u201cunder control\u201d.
\n\u201cThey accepted the legitimate demands of the people, at the moment, there are no issues in Argo and Darayim districts,\u201d he said. \u201cThe people and area are under the control of security forces, and the latest update is that people have committed to cooperating with security forces to eradicate poppy cultivation.\u201d
\nThe Taliban seized power in 2021 as the United States and its allies withdrew troops after a 20-year war launched in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
\nIn 2022, the Taliban\u2019s supreme spiritual leader ordered a ban on narcotics cultivation in the world\u2019s then-top opium producer.
\nMany Afghan landowners and labourers rely on growing opium poppies, especially in the Taliban\u2019s historic heartland in the south.
\nBadakhshan shares a border with Tajikistan and China, with which the Taliban are trying to improve economic links.
\nThe province\u2019s population is predominantly ethnically Tajik, in contrast to the Taliban, most of whose top leaders are ethnically Pashtun, which can exacerbate ethnic tensions despite Taliban promises they will govern the country in the interest of all Afghans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KABUL The Afghan Taliban said on Tuesday they have quelled protests in a northern province over security forces\u2019 attempts to eradicate opium poppy cultivation which generates income for many impoverished farmers. Taliban authorities were holding meetings in Badakhshan, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a Whatsapp message, after several days of protests, in which two people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":405472,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-405454","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n