If you had been wondering from where all the heroin of the world comes, it must not be too difficult to guess. It’s from the most troubled nation on earth, Afghanistan. The country depends literally on the money that comes from the sale of homegrown opium and poppy and also the derivatives like heroin and morphine. These narcotics make way to Western Europe through the neighboring Tajikistan.

Just 13 hours ago, many afghan smugglers were killed in a shootout in Tajikistan when they were caught red handed smuggling heroin into Tajikistan’s borders. These drugs after reaching France, Germany and elsewhere, are sold at exorbitant prices. What I fear is that the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan has actually encouraged the Afghan opium farmers to grow more as lawlessness has increased many folds after the Americans have entered.

Only through proper negotiations with the U.N. and afghan government can the drug route and trade be blocked. I wonder how things will go in the near future. Though listening to the news of the smugglers being shot dead isn’t a very pleasant one, it may just have the right thing to do, for the Tajik forces, whose land is being used as a transit for drug delivery to Europe.

Via: AfghanConflictMonitor

The clouds of extinction are looming large over the wildcats of Afghanistan. The war torn country was once a heaven for the snow leopard species. Unfortunately, today this is not so. These animals due to their elusiveness have some how, managed to survive the country’s turmoil over thirty years.

Today, these big cats face a survival threat from foreigners – those involved in rebuilding Afghanistan. The country banned poaching and hunting of snow leopards in 2002. But, the system being ineffective, a lot of snow leopard skins and furs can be found for sale in the tourist bazaars. Foreigners including tourists and those at international military base camps can be found purchasing these skins and furs at the local markets. Shopkeepers at the Chicken Street (Kabul’s main tourist bazaar) sell pelts and fur coats made from many of Afghanistan’s animal species. Prices may be anywhere between $300-$ 1500. Ask the shopkeepers and they reveal that, it is not difficult for them to illegally trade these skins across international borders as they have provisions to hide these skins and send them across, inside blankets.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has enlisted many animals in Afghanistan including snow leopards, as ‘endangered’. It levies a heavy fine on those found guilty of transporting a fur across an international border. The fine in the U.S. amounts to $100,000 and one year term in jail.

Despite these  strict measures, the illegal trade of fur and pelt sale is flourishing in the valleys of Afghanistan. To meet the demand poachers are always on the look out for a big cat and thus, this demand-supply chain is pushing the snow leopards further towards extinction.

No body knows the exact number of snow leopards in the wild but it is estimated, 3500-7000 of these animals may be living around world (as per the International Snow Leopard Trust). Scenario is even worse for the Afghani snow leopards, only 100-200 of which survive in their natural habitat today. Only imposing a ban on their hunting is not enough. Those at the receiving end acting as customers of fur trade must be cracked down before it’s too late.

Via Reuters