Afghan authorities round up drug addicts in Ghazni province

Authorities in Afghanistan's Eastern province of Ghazni have launched a new campaign to round up and treat drug addicts.
570 people were rounded up in a first phase on Saturday 28 October, and transferred to a special medical center where they will be held under guard and treated for a month as they detox.They are unable to leave until they return a drug-free blood test. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have vowed to end illegal drug production in Afghanistan.
According to the United Nations, close to 10 percent of Afghanistan's 35 million population – or nearly four million people -- are drug users, with problematic drug use a serious health challenge in the country. Ghazni officials say more than 110,000 people in and around the city struggle with drug abuse, with 1,100 people rounded up in a similar campaign last year.