But... Didn't We LIBERATE Them...?

Afghan officials
accused on drugs

By Bilal Sarwary
BBC News, Kabul

The security chief at Kabul airport has accused Afghan officials of colluding with drug smugglers and ordering the release of arrested suspects.

Gen Amarkhel says he receives death threats but will not give in
The security chief at Kabul airport has accused Afghan officials of colluding with drug smugglers and ordering the release of arrested suspects.

Gen Aminullah Amarkhel told the BBC interior ministry officials released two heroin smugglers caught red-handed.

The ministry said the suspects were freed because the packages they carried were not examined in enough detail.

Separately, the transport minister admitted the national airline, Ariana, was being used by drug smugglers.

Afghanistan is the largest producer of opium in the world, accounting for almost 90% of supplies.

The international community has spent millions of dollars on drug eradication since 2001, when the Taleban was ousted. However, although area under cultivation has dropped recently, output has not reduced significantly.

'Late at night'

The airport security chief, Gen Amarkhel, said: "We arrested a group of this [drugs] mafia - one of them was a member of the Ariana Afghan Airline's technical team. With him we arrested two females red-handed with 5kg of heroin which they wanted to take to India."

He said "smugglers" then called him saying one of the women would be released that night.

"The following day they called us again to say she had been released," Gen Amarkhel said.

"Surely the smugglers had their own people within the government because they told us in advance that their people would be released."


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