Also on Thursday, Afghan and Tajik counter-narcotics officials said a dozen suspected drug traffickers were arrested during a joint operation along the border between the two countries.
Baz Mohammad Ahmadi, Afghanistan's deputy interior minister for counter-narcotics, said Thursday that alleged ringleaders of four drug-trafficking operations in Badakhshan in northeastern Afghanistan and nearby areas of Tajikistan were among those arrested.
Weapons and 420 kilograms (926 pounds) of hashish, opium and heroin also were confiscated, he said. Two of the alleged traffickers were wounded in gun battles during the five-day operation.
U.S. drug officials and the NATO-led coalition lent technical support for the operation that began Dec. 1.
Ahmadi said the Afghan government plans to burn 200 metric tons (220 short tons) of drugs seized in operations this year.
Insurgents conduct targeted attacks to undermine public confidence in the government and show they remain a resilient force, despite being outmanned by Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces.
___
Associated Press Deb Riechmann, Heidi Vogt and Patrick Quinn contributed to this report.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Reader Comments (