Five Arrested for Illegal Timber Smuggling in Paktika Province

Members of the Forest Protection Unit in Afghanistan’s Paktika province have prevented the illegal cutting and smuggling of timber in two districts of the region. According to Mawlawi Mohammad Ismail Muawiya, spokesperson for the Paktika police command, the unit’s forces arrested five individuals in the Sarwaza and Khairkot districts on charges of unauthorized transportation of timber.

Official reports state that the suspects were drivers of three cargo trucks and two tractors who attempted to secretly transport forest wood. To deceive authorities, the timber was hidden among bushes and covered by tarpaulins inside the vehicles. These vehicles were identified and stopped in the Paraw area of Sarwaza district and in parts of Khairkot.

Currently, the Taliban administration has banned the transportation of any kind of timber in the province due to the worsening environmental crisis and the degradation of natural resources. While the preservation of natural resources is considered a national and essential duty, the lack of transparent management and concerns over arbitrary enforcement by the Taliban authorities have raised fears among local residents.