Afghan troops destroy narcotics in restive province

Afghan troops waged an anti-drug operation and destroyed a large amount of narcotics together with an heroin factory in southern Helmand province earlier this month, the command of Afghan Special Forces said on Tuesday.

"Afghan National Security and Defense Forces and Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan carried out a special operation in Naw Zad district, Helmand province, destroying over 20,000 liters of liquid opium, 1,090 kg of morphine and more than 15,170 kg of ammonium chloride," it said in a statement posted in its official Facebook account.

Six drug traffickers and terrorists were also killed during the raid which took place on March 19 in the province, 555 km south of Afghan capital of Kabul, according to the statement.

The destroyed drugs and chemicals have been estimated at over 3.9 million U.S. dollars, the statement said, adding that more than 300 pieces of equipments that had been used for processing heroin and other drugs were also destroyed.

Helmand, notorious for poppy growing, is also a known Taliban stronghold.

The destruction of the drugs was a heavy blow for insurgents and anti-government militants as they have been using profits from the illegal drugs to fund insurgency, the statement added.

Much of the world's opium poppy is cultivated in the militancy-hit country, particularly in western and southern parts of the country, where government security forces have little presence. Endit