Afghanistan opium poppy cultivation surges despite Taliban govt ban: UN

Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan more than quadrupled in 2026 despite a Taliban government ban, the United Nations said on Thursday, urging that impoverished farmers needed alternatives to the lucrative crop. Cultivated areas reached 43,000 hectares (ar…

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• Desk: Politics
• Filed: Thu, 29 Oct 2026 08:15:36 GMT
• Status: Developing — the desk is updating this file

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