A good source of income for all warlords in Afghanistan, especially for Taliban, is the best type of opium with the dark brown color which is called tor (Rashid 117). The Taliban have created an incentive for producing the poppies; they have banned Hashish cultivation due to its usage by Afghans and Muslims, but they have permitted the Afghan farmers to cultivate opium because it is used by kafirs (Non-believers) (Rashid 118). There are other political concerns about the permission of opium cultivation too; Taliban say farmers receive good price by poppy cultivation in contrast of crops cultivation and we are able to obtain foods by importing from other neighboring countries (Rashid 118). During 1992 and 1995, Afghanistan became the largest producer of opium in the world with amount of 2200-2400 metric tons yearly (Rashid 119). No educated people remained in the country after 1992: even telephone operators left, leaving dealers, businessmen, transport operators and smugglers to run the country (Rashid 125). The economy got worse in 1998 due to many earthquakes in Northern provinces, floods in Kandahar, cold weather in Kabul with no facilities (Rashid 127). The UN was reluctant to provide aid to Afghanistan, inasmuch as the Taliban disavowed any responsibility for the civilian population (Rashid 127). Because the Taliban refused to support its own population, international donors were loath to give support to Afghanistan’s people (Rashid 127).

Rashid, Ahmed. Taliban. I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, 2000.