Kabul: About 400 drug addicts taken to hospital

KABUL (Pajhwok): Nearly 400 drug addicts were collected from various areas of Kabul and shifted to hospital for treatment by authorities on Wednesday, an official said.

The addicts were collected from Pul-i-Sukhta neighbourhood of the city during a joint campaign by the ministries of public health, social affairs, interior and counter-narcotics.

Dr. Shahpur Yousuf, a Public Health Ministry official, told reporters the objective behind the drive was to protect the drug addicts from severe cold weather.

He said the campaign was underway across the country and around 800 homeless addicts had been collected so far.

Yousuf added poverty, unemployment and ongoing conflict in the country had facilitated access to drugs in Afghanistan.

Col. Mohammad Irshad Nazari, director of the counter-narcotics department at the Ministry of Interior, said nine major drug dealers had been arrested this year.

pk/mud