Drug trafficking fuels economic instability across Afghanistan

Drug trafficking has become one of the main sources of funding for terrorist groups in South Asia and the Middle East, experts say.

Among them, al-Qaeda has exploited insecurity and poverty to expand and organize the illegal drug trade, particularly in Afghanistan.

By controlling key trafficking routes from Afghanistan to Pakistan and the Middle East, al-Qaeda has effectively become an economic actor, Masoom Saboori, a political analyst based in Belgium, told Salaam Times.

"This group uses revenues from opium and heroin not only to buy weapons, but also to bribe local commanders, recruit personnel, and maintain its network of influence in villages," he said.

"These activities have not only helped finance the continuation of the group's terrorist operations, but have also fueled social and economic instability in various regions," he added.

He said that al-Qaeda undermines legitimate markets by imposing economic burdens on communities, destroying infrastructure, intimidating business leaders, and spreading fear that discourages investment and lawful trade.

Muhammad Omar Kabiri, a political analyst in France, said that in many areas under al-Qaeda’s influence, poverty and unemployment have pushed locals into the drug trade.

"Al-Qaeda uses this situation to legitimize itself among the people and, by distributing part of the smuggling revenue, provides basic services or financial aid to needy families," he said.

Kabiri said that the group exploits weak institutions and unstable conditions to control trafficking routes and fund its terrorist operations.

"Al-Qaeda actively uses economic destabilization as part of a coherent strategy to finance its terrorist operations," he said.

"By creating and controlling illegal smuggling markets, production laboratories and transit routes, extorting local trade, and investing in money laundering, it creates sustainable revenue sources," he said.

Economic dependence and regional instability

Drug trafficking in areas where al-Qaeda operates, especially in southern and eastern Afghanistan, has become not only a source of income but also a political tool, said Muhaiuddin Ahmadi, a political analyst based in Tehran.

"By creating economic dependency between local farmers and trafficking networks, the group effectively consolidates its social and political control," he said.

"Any government effort to replace drug crops with legitimate products faces strong resistance, because al-Qaeda uses instability as a survival tool," he added.

Ahmadi warned that al-Qaeda’s activities deepen poverty, destroy legitimate markets, and erode public trust in government institutions.

Seyad Hossein Safi, a political analyst based in London, said revenues from drug trafficking enable al-Qaeda to fund terrorist attacks and sustain instability.

"By taking control of the main drug-trafficking routes in Afghanistan, especially in the southern and eastern regions, al-Qaeda plays a central role in weakening the stability of this country," he said.

Safi added that by aligning with local groups and criminal networks, al-Qaeda organizes the production and export of narcotics, worsening corruption and economic dependency.

Evidence shows that al-Qaeda’s involvement in drug trafficking remains a deliberate tool to destabilize regions, sustain its financial power, and obstruct Afghanistan’s path toward economic stability, he said.