Afghan Police Turn to Opium as $6-a-Day Salaries Delayed
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Nazar Mohammad gave up opium farming two years ago in a Taliban-dominant river valley in southern Afghanistan to make 10 times less working as a local policeman. Now he regrets the move.
His monthly salary of 9,700 Afghani ($168) has been delayed four times since March, making him question whether it’s worth risking his life if the government won’t even pay him on time. While opium farming is also dangerous, at least it gave him enough cash to provide for his wife and four kids.