Officials from Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan say they will bolster regional co-operation to combat drug smuggling at a time when the cultivation of illicit opium poppy is increasing. Ministers in charge of counter-narcotics from the three nations agreed at a UN-organised regional meeting on Monday to do more to stop the export of opium from Afghanistan, which is the world's largest producer of opium _ the raw ingredient used to make heroin.
Afghanistan provides about 90 percent of the world's crop. The UN and the Afghan government have long tried to wean the country off of the lucrative crop.