Safety Tips in Afghanistan

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Opium production in Afghanistan is on the rise and its now the world's leading producer of opium. Drug lords exist with little threat to their operations.

We met Mirwais Yasini, the head of the anti-narcotics dept in Kabul, and he was a concerned man too. A small task force he leads, compared to the size of the problem. Production has gone up many-fold over the past few years, and there is reason to believe that some of the proceeds go in to funding the Al Quaida etc.

The main problem however is that the lure for the farmer to grow opium is really high...In a country where annual incomes barely reach $170, farmers can earn up to $6,500 a year from opium production, they can make up to 38 times as much growing opium as they can from wheat. Opium has long been used as a traditional medicine in Afghanistan, but now its illegal to grow poppy.The Karzai government has often come up with schemes to get opium farmers to shift away from poppy cultivation, but its never really worked very effectively compared to the opportunity cost...

The police and narcotics dept will put you thru a pretty thorough search on your way out of the country at the airport... your suitcase may go thru some rough moments. So pack with care...

Unfortunately, the current situation in Afghanistan is not stable enough to allow tourism for Western persons. Even in Kabul, the constant threat of kidnapping, bombings, and random acts of violence makes travel here unworth the risk.

Once the security situation improves though, visitors can expect to see mountain vistas that rival the Canadian Rockies, people that are some of the friendliest in the world, and culinary delights that will rival those of many other Asian countries.

Kabul itself is a massive collection of mud walled buildings, with a small core of medium sized office buildings. Those expecting high rise towers and apartments will be disappointed, which is one of the most interesting parts of the capital.

There are some large markets in the centre of town, beautiful mosques, monuments to the many wars, mountains right in the centre of traffic, and a zoo which contains the only pig in all of Afghanistan. Once there is a higher level of stability, this will be a great place to visit, but sadly, it just isnt ready yet.

Landmines and other unexploded battlefield detritus, commonly known as unexploded ordnance (UXO), contaminate at least 724 million square meters of land in Afghanistan. Only two of Afghanistan's twenty-nine provinces are believed to be free of landmines.

Afghanistan was heavily mined during the Soviet occupation years, 1980-1992. Most were placed around cities and airports. While the country is making progress with the removal, it is still one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. With that said, Kabul is the most heavily mined city.

Keep an eye out for rocks painted red and white. The white rocks indicate cleared areas, and the red side of the rock will be facing the dangerous, mined area. Some markings may be removed, so avoid leaving the road.

There are still risks of Improvised Explosive Devices (can be made out of a wide range of materials), remote controlled explosives placed in vehicles, kindappings, and suicide bombers.

The Taliban which means "student" in Pashto ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. They were well known for their strict interpretation of Islam. Women effectively had no rights. They could not work or go to school, be seen out in public without a man and without being covered from head to toe and be touched by another man which meant they couldn't even see a doctor (all doctors were men because women could not work). Kids were not allowed to fly kites and music was forbidden. Beware if you broke any of these rules because they really liked their public executions. The leader of the Taliban is Mullah Mohammed Omar who allowed Osama Bin Laden to live in Afghanistan and train Al-Qaida. The Taliban was only recognised by 3 official states of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. Maybe the only positive thing they done was to halt almost all of the opium production in Afghanistan. In March 2001 they recieved criticism from all around the world when they destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan. In late 2001 they were ousted from power by the Northern Alliance and USA air power for not handing over Osama Bin Laden.

Today now they are an insurgent group that conducts guerilla operations against coalition forces, especially in the south. They seem to get members from all over the Islamic world but a lot of them are from Pakistan. They also target civilians that work with coalition nations even if it is as simple as building roads funded by coalition nations. They are a very serious threat and areas with active Taliban should be avoided.

With almost all countries that have had or currently wars within the last century will have a problem with unexploded ordnances (UXOs) and Afghanistan is no different. A lot of the minefields from the Soviet days are marked and lots of stuff has been cleaned up. But there is a new war going on especially in the south which is making more UXOs. Leave them alone as they are designed to kill and maim and just because it didn't go off does not mean that they won't. I have heard stories that sometimes at sunset UXOs will go off just because of the sudden change in temperature. That's how sensitive some of this stuff can be.

Anyone who has travelled a bit in developing countries would be used to this. Afghanistan is no different with Police Checkpoints. With all the action still happening in Afghanistan there are a lot of these checks going on especially with the insurgents. The Afghan National Police are still new with this but for the most part seem uncorrupt but I have heard of lunch money going missing. Currently they are often supported with coalition forces which you should have nothing to worry about then. The real reason I did this tip is because I wanted to show off a picture of a police checkpoint in a developing nation. How often can you get away with that.

There are many health considerations when visiting Afghanistan. Water pollution is a huge problem, and sewage contaminates ground/well water in many districts. Food may have fecal contamination and may be prepared in unsanitary conditions. For those with asthma, sometimes the air can be filled with dust and sand.

Afghanistan is also home to many venomous snakes, scorpions, and spiders!

The malaria season is roughly April through November and is at most risk at altitudes below 2000m. Sand flies can give leishmaniasis, mostly from April through October.

Currently, there is inadequate pubic health in Afghanistan. This country also has one of the highest rates of tuberculosis in the world.