Iranian interior minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli underlined Iran's resolve to intensify its fight against drug lords in the current Iranian year (started March 21, 2014).

"The government is committed to tighten control over border crossings and increase border control to decrease drug smuggling into the country," the Iranian interior minister told reporters in Tehran on Thursday.

He said that decreasing counter-security incidents along borders, specially through blocking boundaries in Southeastern and Northwestern Iran are among the interior ministry's plans to block supply of narcotics in the current year.

Iran aims to completely seal off its Eastern borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan by 2015 to prevent drug smuggling and infiltration of armed groups.

In early 1990, Iran began to build a “wall” to seal its approximately 1,800 kilometer-long border with its neighbors to control drug trafficking and infiltration of armed rebel groups or bandits.

According to official figures, nearly 4,000 Iranian soldiers have been killed in the three-decade-long battle with drug traffickers and outlawed groups.
 

News ID 186608