Quetta, Pakistan; 11 May 2002 (RFE/RL) - The governor of the southern Afghan province of Kandahar says a month-long operation to destroy opium poppy crops will be completed next week. AFP quotes Governor Gul Agha Sherzai as saying there has been no resistance and the campaign is going ahead uninterrupted. He was speaking in the Pakistani border city of Quetta.
The interim Afghan administration, led by Hamid Karzai, has launched a poppy-eradication program under international pressure and offered financial compensation to farmers to destroy their crops. Afghanistan is a leading producer of opium poppies that are used to make heroin.
The interim Afghan administration, led by Hamid Karzai, has launched a poppy-eradication program under international pressure and offered financial compensation to farmers to destroy their crops. Afghanistan is a leading producer of opium poppies that are used to make heroin.