Now the uncontested rulers of Afghanistan, the Taliban have set their sights on the scourge of narcotics addiction — even if it means using force. Patrols scour the capital for drug users, who are detained and taken involuntarily to the hospital.
Drug users detained during a Taliban raid walk in line on their way to the detoxification ward of the Avicenna Medical Hospital for Drug Treatment in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. Now the uncontested rulers of Afghanistan, the Taliban have set their sights on stamping out the scourge of narcotics addiction, even if by force.
The heavy-handed methods are welcomed by some health workers, who have had no choice but to adapt to Taliban rule. “We are not in a democracy anymore, this is a dictatorship. And the use of force is the only way to treat these people,” said Dr. Fazalrabi Mayar, working in a treatment facility. He was referring specifically to Afghans addicted to heroin and meth.Soon after the Taliban took power on Aug.
Sanctions and lack of recognition have made Afghanistan, long an aid-dependent country, ineligible for the financial support from international organizations that accounted for 75% of state spending. An appalling human rights record, especially with respect to women, has rendered the Taliban unpopular among international development organizations.
Police roundups of addicts did occur during previous administrations. But the Taliban are more forceful and feared. An elderly, bespectacled man raised his voice. He is a poet, he announced, and if they let him go he will never use drugs again. He scribbled verses on a piece of paper to prove his point. It didn’t work.In the end, they were at least 150 men rounded up. They were taken to the district police station, where all their belongings — drugs, wallets, knifes, rings, lighters, a juice box — were burned in a pile since they are forbidden to take them to the treatment center.
For Mansfield, the expert, the latest drug raids are history rinsed and repeated. “In the 90s, they used to do exactly the same thing,” he said. The only difference now is that there are drug treatment centers; back then drug users were made to stand on mountain melts, or rivers, thinking it would sober them up.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Afghan embassies don’t recognise the TalibanFor now most host countries are encouraging the Afghan embassies to stay open under the old government. They want Afghan migrants and refugees to have access to consular services
Read more »
Exiled painter depicts 'slow disappearance' of Afghan women under TalibanMurad Sharifi, a refugee from Afghanistan, works at a kebab place and lives in a shelter for the homeless in Budapest's outskirts. His tiny room is filled with dozens of paintings depicting a colourful but ominous world, of Afghan women clad in long black burqa gowns, surrounded by hostile men.
Read more »
US to bring in thousands of Afghan refugees after measles jabsAuthorities have administered measles vaccine to about 49,000 evacuees staying temporarily on American military bases as well as to those still at transit points in Europe and the Middle East, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Read more »
Hundreds throng passport office in Afghan capitalHundreds of Afghans flocked to the passport office in Kabul on Wednesday, just a day after news that it would re-open this week to issue the documents, while Taliban security men had to beat back some in the crowd in efforts to maintain order.
Read more »
Stranded at Tajik sanatorium, pregnant Afghan pilot fears for unborn babyShe didn't forget the prenatal vitamins - that was one of the few things this U.S.-trained Afghan pilot could grab from her Kabul airport office before she left the country aboard an Air Force plane during the Taliban takeover.
Read more »
Exiled painter depicts 'slow disappearance' of Afghan women under TalibanMurad Sharifi, a refugee from Afghanistan, works at a kebab place and lives in a shelter for the homeless in Budapest's outskirts. His tiny room is filled with dozens of paintings depicting a colourful but ominous world, of Afghan women clad in long black burqa gowns, surrounded by hostile men.
Read more »