The Taliban's Opium Millionaires, Persamaan Dengan Pemimpin Politik Lebai Dan Melayu

 Here is a Reuters report about the Taliban and opium production in Afghanistan.

Afghans grow poppy, extract opium, refined into morphine and heroin
last four years Afghan highest levels of opium production
Even during COVID pandemic poppy cultivation soared 37% in 2020
opium is "country's largest industry"

• produces more than 80% of global opium, heroin supplies
• world's biggest supplier of opium, heroine
• 2017 Afghan produced 9,900 tons raw opium, worth US$1.4b (7% GDP)
• after processing, refining etc Afghan's opium economy in 2017 was US$6.6b

More drug production, cheaper price, wider accessibility

With Taliban in Kabul best time  to expand business
poppy cultivation has exploded
POPPY CULTIVATION SOARS

• Taliban long involved in narcotics trade
• Taliban involved in poppy planting, opium extraction, trafficking, "taxes" on drug labs to charging smugglers fees for shipments bound for Africa, Europe, Canada, Russia, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia.
• Taliban earned US$400m in 2018 - 2019 from drugs 
• 60% of Taliban their annual revenue from narcotics

• Taliban warlords vie for drug profits and power
• higher opium production, boon for Taliban
• Afghan opium trade main source of income for Taliban, UNODC

Afghan farmers dependent on narcotics for survival

support for Taliban - among farmers who depend on opium to feed families

unlikely Taliban will prohibit poppy cultivation 

to avoid alienating farmers and provoking violent rebellion

My comments :

Look at this photo collage here.  The top pictures show the Taliban when they first took Afghanistan (1994)  and later just before the US Invasion (in 2001). 

The bottom two pictures are from two days ago ie 15th August 2021, showing the Taliban back in power. 

As you can see the Taliban fighters in 1994 till 2001 were still the rag tag but hardcore mountain men who wore flip flops and could survive by eating  one roti naan per day.

In the lower picture you can see the Taliban of today 2021 who are not only pot bellied or fat but they are also quite smartly dressed (right).  Although still dressed in their traditional garb the cloth looks expensive.  These guys are not the poor rag tag Taliban anymore. Many are millionaires, they live in plush apartments in Doha, Qatar (where many Taliban leaders have lived in exile)  and they have their fingers in poppy fields, opium, diesel smuggling, weapons dealing etc.  Other pictures show them wearing expensive watches, carrying the latest smart phones and wearing European shoes.  Plus their favourite transport in Afghanistan are those giant Toyota Land Cruisers.

Here is a more relevant point. The Taliban do not depend on the Pakistanis for their survival anymore.  Plus there is no more danger of Afghanistan ever being invaded again by America, Russia, China, Pakistan or Iran.  The Taliban now have better self sufficiency. 

And neither is there any danger of an imminent civil war in Afghanistan. (Though that may happen later, especially from the Shia and central asiatic  northern part of the country.  Uzbeks and Hazaras who are of Chinese - Central Asian racial stock (and also Shia) have been beaten at random by hairy Pushtuns for not having sufficient facial hair).

I  do suspect that the Taliban will become even more radicalised and extremist in implementing their religious beliefs. Not on account of their convictions but to deflect the peoples' attention away from their plundering the country's wealth. 

If they can plant, grow, process and sell  80% of the world's opium and heroine supply they have already arrived at the gates of hell.  And so have the people of Afghanistan.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.