Amid a surge in Taliban insurgency, a number of military and political analysts Wednesday pressed the Afghan government to enforce stricter measures to curb the funding sources of Taliban operatives and other terrorist organizations active in the country.
They said that the Taliban finance their war machine through illicit drug smuggling and a range of other illicit dealings in their strongholds.
“The government has the ability to take the issue under control and prevent the trend, however when the government is willing to do something and implement the program practically, certain elements within government who enjoy some sort of business or ties with the opposing side foil the program; the issue has resulted in a complicated circle and it does not allow us to come out of it,” said political analyst Amin Farhang.
“Afghanistan’s surveillance and intelligence organs should work together at a district level to tackle the issue and to find out who really provides financial support to them (insurgents),” said military analyst Mirza Mohammad Yarmand.
Reacting to experts’ suggestions, meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has also confirmed that Taliban insurgents generate substantial revenue through illicit drug trafficking and a range of other illegal activities.
“Drug smuggling is part of their revenue stream, which they use to finance their war; one of the main purposes of our military operations against them is to eliminate the Taliban’s funding sources, but unfortunately they have also funding sources outside Afghanistan,” said MoI spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.
Cutting off their funding sources is said to be a key element to curbing the group’s bloody insurgency in Afghanistan, however analysts accuse government of not defining a more comprehensive strategy to target this.
There are however rumors that insurgent groups make money in other ways – not just drug smuggling. They reportedly earn revenue through illegal mining, smuggling of precious and semi-precious stones, by imposing illegal taxes on the people and smuggling marble, kidnapping, collecting revenue from telecom companies and construction companies among others.
According to a UN survey, despite the drop in opium cultivation, production and prices, the Taliban and other anti-government forces generate substantial revenue from the drug industry.http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/26348-analysts-call-on-govt-to-target-insurgents-funding-sources
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