Afghan forces have destroyed more than 4,000 hectares of poppy fields in Helmand, lately

Ministry of Counter Narcotics has targeted Helmand, the main Afghan poppy zone, to crackdown the levels of poppy cultivation in this country.

Afghan Minister of Counter Narcotics, General Khodaidad, said a new operation has begun to destroy the poppy fields in Helmand districts, where close to 90 per cent of opium produces in its rural areas.

“This operation involves the assistance of the international troops,” said Minister of Counter Narcotics.

“This will cover the five most grown poppy provinces in the south and western Afghanistan.”

General Khodaidad has not cleared which types of assistance he receives from the International Security Assistance Force ISAF, as it was a debate in Nato whether to permit ISAF troops to involve in the counter narcotics efforts.

Afghan minister said, Helmand operation is focused in Nad Ali and Nawa-e Barikzaye districts and have cleared a large number of hectares of lands from poppy crops.

Afghanistan still hits the record in poppy cultivation and producing opium in the world, but the United States government confirmed a 17 per cent decrease in this harvest last year.

Estimates show that almost the entire per cent of poppy growing are in the south and western provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, Farah, Nimroz and Urozgan.

Recently, Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan damned the Afghan drug efforts.

He said the US efforts to eradicate opium poppy crops in Afghanistan have been a "wasteful and ineffective" program.

Richard Holbrooke said the $800m a year the US was spending on counter-narcotics would be better used in supporting Afghan farmers.

Meanwhile, the U.N. special envoy for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, welcomes the fall of poppy growing and destruction of poppy fields.

UN envoy said Afghan farmers must receive necessary assistance as an alternative to not grown poppy.

Kai Eide said poppy cultivation would not boost the economy of the country and he hoped religious scholars, governors and community elders help to stop harvesting this illegal seed.

The statistics in the Ministry of Counter Narcotics reveal 7,500 tons of drugs had been produced in Afghanistan last year.

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