A center for professional and craft courses was opened for 530 drug addicts in the capital city of Kabul, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, said on Sunday.

An official of the ministry, Abdul Wahid Faiz, said that the training will include tailoring, electric engineering, and home construction, and will last for a period of three months.

“We have provided training for 530 drug addicts in tailoring, electricity, shoemaking and repair of home appliances,” he said.

This comes as the deputy minister of Counter-Narcotics of the Ministry of Interior said that two million drug addicts need rehabilitation treatment, and called on the international community to aid in this regard.

A senior official of the deputy Minister of Counter-Narcotics of the Ministry of Interior, Abdul Rahman Qassimi, said that 20,000 drug addicts are currently under treatment in 11 rehabilitation centers.

“The drug addicts should be provided with technical and professional training and then they should be provided with a job so they do not become addicted to drugs again,” Qassimi said.

Meanwhile, some of the trainees urged the interim government to provide them with job opportunities after their graduation.

“The Islamic Emirate should also try to provide jobs for the rehabilitated drug addicts who graduated from this center,” said Suheel, a trainee.

“The electricity work in construction is the best career, thus I am learning technical and professional training in this field here and to prevent myself from being addicted to drugs,” said Mohammad Nasir, a trainee.

Based on the statistics of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, there are a total of 52 centers of craft training centers across the country. The ministry said women trainees contribute 20,000 participants at these centers.