Afghan gov’t: 63 drug smugglers, terrorists killed, tons of drugs destroyed in south

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Afghan gov’t: 63 drug smugglers, terrorists killed

KABUL, Afghanistan — Security forces killed 63 drug smugglers and terrorists and destroyed several tons of drugs in a two-day operation in southern Afghanistan that ended Sunday, the government said.

Ten armed militants and smugglers, including some foreigners, were also arrested in the sting by a counternarcotics unit assisted by coalition forces along Afghanistan’s southern border with Pakistan, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry.

It said authorities freed 14 civilians being held by the smugglers and terrorists, and confiscated weapons, explosives and suicide vests during the operation in Baramcha in southern Helmand province. They destroyed 16 tons of drugs and drug-making chemicals.

Afghanistan supplies 90 percent of the world’s opium, the main ingredient in heroin, and is also the global leader in hashish production. Drug crops help finance an increasingly virulent insurgency and encourage corruption, particularly in the south where the Taliban control cultivation of opium poppies and smuggling routes.

The Afghan government and its international backers have made a massive effort in recent years to discourage farmers from growing poppies and to crack down on smuggling. While they have made some strides, the trade continues to flourish.