Officials in the office of the deputy minister of the Counter-Narcotics said that the cultivation of poppy has dropped to "zero level," and no one will be allowed to continue drug trafficking in the country.

The MoI held a gathering of public awareness with the presence of Islamic clerics to increase awareness of the people about the damages of the drugs.

Speaking at a press conference, the director of the office of the deputy Minister of Counter-Narcotics, Haseebullah Ahmadi, said there are more than 2,000 major and minor drug dealers.

“This department has had good achievements regarding the decree which was issued by the supreme leader of the (Islamic Emirate) about the drugs. We have proved it to the world that narcotics dropped to zero level,” he said.

“If we go forward through the tribune of the mosque, we will succeed. You (clerics) help in this regard and advise the people,” said Zainullah Abid, head of the office of the Interior Minister.

The Ministry of the Haj urged the country’s Islamic scholars to provide people with essential advice to avoid using drugs.

“In Islam, the use of drugs is decisively forbidden,” said Ameer Mohammad, a cleric.

Earlier, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said that the cultivation of opium poppies in Afghanistan has increased by 32 percent over the previous year, to 233,000 hectares – making the 2022 crop the third largest area under cultivation since monitoring began.