After the armed conflict from 2001 to 2021, led by the United States with an international military coalition, Afghanistan found itself in the grips of the longest war on opium in US military history. Throughout this period, most provinces remained unsafe for Afghans, US military personnel, UK Armed Forces, and other coalition members who joined the invasion with their alleged objective of eradicating Al-Qaeda from Afghanistan.
Helmand: Opium hub and Taliban stronghold
Helmand province, known as a stronghold of the Taliban and a hub for opium production, emerged as one of the deadliest regions for both sides involved in the conflict. Between 2001 and 2017 the US spent around USD 8.6bn fighting the opium war in Afghanistan yet business was still booming under their hold. Their stated objective was to take out the heroin laboratories at the heart of the Taliban’s $200m-a-year opium trade, and it was to involve some 200 strikes, similar to those on the Taliban military. However, the impact of the war against opium in Afghanistan left civilians paying the highest price.
Among the districts affected within Helmand province, Sangin stands out as a microcosm of the conflict’s brutality. With a population of approximately 30,000 people, Sangin became notorious as one of the largest opium markets in the region. It was also a focal point for numerous missions and operations aimed at weakening the Taliban’s grip on the area at the time.
Untold stories of airstrike survivors
27-year-old, Ahmad Shah (not his real name) recounts how he was shot in the eye despite surviving an airstrike “I was in my room and having lunch – my father came and asked me to take the buffalos and sheep to the fields, after a few minutes of sitting under the shadow of a tree I heard a loud blast than I don’t remember anything. I woke up a few weeks later and I found myself in hospital”.
Violence had become a daily reality in the district, civilians endured unimaginable hardships exacerbated by poverty and dire living conditions.
Mohammad Wali, a 36-year-old resident, reflects on life during the conflict, “The district was closed for a while – only very few verified Afghans were allowed to enter and exit for trading purposes. We were living a caged life… between Americans and the Taliban, the war squeezed us from the beginning till the end.” This sentiment was shared by countless others who found themselves trapped in a cycle of violence beyond their control.
Opium war airstrikes
The number of airstrikes on Sangin is still a mystery; 30 airstrikes were reportedly carried out in 2017 on the district which killed countless civilians and remains one of the parts of Afghanistan which has significantly affected civilian populations.
Amidst the chaos, Gulmina, a 76-year-old woman, faced an unspeakable tragedy. Her young son, recently married and the family’s sole provider was killed in an airstrike two years ago. The same explosion cost Gulmina her legs, leaving her unable to walk. She now resides with her daughter-in-law, grappling with the physical and emotional aftermath of the devastating attack.
Sangin’s streets, once bustling with life, now lie in ruins. Entire neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble, and the scars of war are etched deep into the landscape. Amidst this desolation, survivors like 39-year-old, Hamza Gull find strength in their loved ones. Despite losing his wife in an airstrike, Gull draws solace from his surviving infant daughter. “Her presence keeps me happy and strong,” he says, with tears in his eyes. Gull explained, “My wife had just given birth to our daughter and went to the neighbours’ house to bake bread in a tandoor (a traditional way of baking bread). After about 30 minutes I heard a heavy noise which almost blew my eardrums. There was dust everywhere and I looked around for my mother and daughter to see if they were alive, but my mother was injured. People in the area gathered around the houses. My brother ran to me and said where is your wife? We both ran towards the house of the neighbour, and I saw the house was destroyed. It took us eight to nine hours to take out her body from the rubble”.
The human cost of war and opium
As the last echoes of airstrikes fade, Sangin serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of the war on opium. Beyond the headlines and political rhetoric, it is the stories of those who have suffered most that demand our attention and empathy. In the aftermath of conflict, it is not just buildings that need rebuilding but lives shattered by violence and loss. Only through acknowledging and addressing this human toll can Afghanistan begin to heal and rebuild a future free from the spectre of war.
Since the Taliban’s 2023 ban imposed on poppy cultivation and the production of narcotics, there has been a steep drop in the export of opium from Afghanistan. This has created a huge challenge for farmers to adapt and migrate to other production such as wheat, adding to the ‘’already dire situation of farmers in rural Afghanistan’’. Without support to make a smooth transition to other crops and often few alternatives, the future is uncertain for many.
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