KABUL - Second Vice-President Mohammad Karim Khalili on Wednesday underlined the imperative of stepped-up efforts at arresting drug lords in the country, the world's biggest opium producer.
On World Drug Day, Khalili told a gathering in Kabul that since the revenue from narcotics fuelled terrorism in the country, the challenge should be taken seriously.

He called on security forces to crack down on drug mafia leaders. "Such figures should be unmasked -- whether they are in the government or out of it," the vice-president stressed.

Afghans were given a small portion of the drug money, while the lion's share ended up in the pockets of traffickers and international cartels, he said, urging the international community to cooperate with the Afghan government's interdiction efforts.

Opium cultivation in Afghanistan had increased by 72 percent in recent years, the vice-president said, without giving annual figures.

Counternarcotics Minister Zarar Ahmad Muqbil identified militant influence in some areas as one big hurdle to the poppy eradication campaign.

Poppy cultivation increased from 123,000 hectares in 2010 to 131,000 in 2011 and opium production jumped from 3,600 tons to 6,700 tons in insecure areas, showing a 65 percent rise. (Pajhwok)