Afghanistan. Muhammad’s last journey – a story of survival, debt and loss
Afghanistan. Muhammad’s last journey – a story of survival, debt and loss
The Islamic Emirate’s ban on poppy cultivation has reshaped life in many areas across Afghanistan, especially in Helmand province, where poppy was fundamental to the economy and to many farmers’ livelihoods. This is the story of one such farmer, Muhammad, who, having lost his main source of income following the poppy ban and finding that persistent drought was frustrating his attempts to grow other crops and pushing him into debt, took the desperate measure of trying to get to Iran for work. He left his wife and seven of his children and set out for Iran with one teenage son. But his journey ended in tragedy: Muhammad was shot dead by Iranian border police and his son was badly injured. In this instalment of The Daily Hustle, Nur Khan Himmat hears from a friend of Muhammad’s about his final journey and the family he left behind. (AAN – Afghanistan Analyst Network / The Daily Hustle, 05.10.2025)
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