Afghan parliamentarian says government losing control in Helmand

An Afghan member of the Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of parliament, said on March 19 that the government has no control in most districts of the southern province of Helmand, and that government opponents are persuading farmers there to grow opium poppies on their land. The comments from Nasima Niazi, who represents Helmand, come at a time when the government has started a poppy eradication campaign in the province. Niazi added that the government cannot eradicate poppies in Helmand because it has no control over these districts, while government opponents have promised farmers that they will protect their poppy fields.