Story: Armed forces

Drug destruction, Afghanistan, 2006 (2nd of 3)

Drug destruction, Afghanistan, 2006

New Zealand armed forces have been in Afghanistan since 2003. Here, opium resin seized by the Afghan police is being burned by members of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team, which is based in Bamyan province. Opium resin is processed into the drug heroin. Profits from drugs are a major source of income for the Taliban and Al Qaeda, the groups the New Zealand forces are fighting in Afghanistan.

Using this item

New Zealand Defence Force

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Jim Rolfe, 'Armed forces - Partnerships and international deployments', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/35733/drug-destruction-afghanistan-2006 (accessed 26 April 2024)

Story by Jim Rolfe, published 20 Jun 2012, updated 1 Apr 2020