Iran and Afghanistan to establish joint committee to fight terrorism and drug trafficking

Iran and Afghanistan to establish joint committee to fight terrorism and drug trafficking

2011-03-09 00:01:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- Iran and Afghanistan on Tuesday called for the establishment of a joint committee to fight terrorism and drug trafficking, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

The announcement came on Tuesday as Iranian interior minister Mohammad Najjar met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul. The two high-ranking officials discussed issues of mutual interests and latest regional developments.

In addition, Najjar and Karzai announced a future committee to take counter-terrorism measures and fight against drug trafficking and organized crime along the Iran-Afghanistan border.

"Boosting regional cooperation will result in security and tranquility for the people of the region," the Iranian Interior Minister added.

Minister Najjar also called for legalizing the presence of Afghan citizens in Iran. Currently, there are approximately 300,000 Afghan students in Iran, as part of exchanged programs between the two nations.

The Iranian official also condemned the massacre of innocent children by NATO troops in Afghanistan. Najjar added that the foreign troops are playing a negative role in the region as their presence has escalated insecurity and caused a 40 percent increase in drug trafficking.

"Foreign countries have come to the region under the motto and guise of the establishment of security, but their presence has brought further increase in drug production and insecurity and people are now deprived of tranquility," Najjar said.

Furthermore, the Interior Minister said that Iran strongly opposes the United States plans for setting up a permanent military base in Afghanistan. Najjar said that such action will not be beneficial to Iran and Afghanistan.

Recently, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the U.S. intention to expand their relationship with Afghanistan. There are around 140,000 international troops currently deployed in the Asian country; 60 percent of them are Americans.

Gates who is in Afghanistan in order to visit troops and meet with high ranking officials, apologized to President Karzai for the killing of 9 Afghan boys during a U.S. air strike conducted last week.

The Defense Secretary's visit include areas in regional commands South and East, where he will meet with troops and assess progress on the ground. Gates has visited the region in an average of one trip each quarter.

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