UN Says Corruption Compromising Afghan Drug Effort
November 29, 2006
November 29, 2006 -- A new report says Afghanistan's criminal groups have compromised government officials who protect drug traffickers, allowing the country's drug trade to flourish.
The joint report issued on November 28 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Bank places heavy blame on Afghanistan's Interior Ministry. Afghan officials are denying high-level corruption in the ministry.
A visual look at Afghanistan's progress and challenges over the last five years.
The report, called "Afghanistan's Drug Industry," is a comprehensive assessment of the country's drug production, from poppy growing to the international drug trade.
The Associated Press quotes Zalmai Afzali, a spokesman for the Afghan antinarcotics ministry, as today saying that there is no evidence that high-ranking officials are involved in the country's drug trade.
(AP)