Camp Pheonix: Inside Afghanistan’s Heroin Hell

Introduction

This documentary, created by an independent reporter named Akshay, shows the growing drug crisis in Afghanistan through on-the-ground footage, interviews and real stories of people suffering from addiction and those seeking to provide support. Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, international aid has been withdrawn, and public services are on the brink of collapse. Babrak, a former mujahideen fighter and once an addict himself, now runs Camp Pheonix, a rehabilitation center. Though the conditions here are poor, he believes it’s still better than the streets. Despite these challenges, he and a small team of medical staff continue to offer hope as the Taliban’s harsh anti-drug policies are enforced.

[Note: It is my understanding that the center is called Ibn Sina Drug Addiction Treatment Hospital, but is referred to as Camp Pheonix in this video as that’s what it used to be called when it was a U.S. military base.]

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Quotes

“The Taliban is bringing addicts to Camp Phoenix rehabilitation, one of Kabul’s largest rehabilitation centers with 1,000 beds. This rehabilitation camp once was a US military base. In 2015, as a part of a broader effort to combat the rising addiction crisis, the then Afghan government converted it into a rehabilitation center. However since the Taliban’s takeover, all international funding has been halted and Afghanistan’s foreign assets have been frozen. As a result, addicts are now brought to this camp which operates with little to no treatment facilities.”

“Afghanistan: a nation that has endured over 40 years of war. The two-decade long conflict between NATO and the Taliban left the country in ruins … Decades of war have fueled extreme poverty and widespread unemployment. At the same time, the period saw an exponential rise in Afghanistan’s illegal poppy production, generating billions of dollars. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (2023) report, 80% of the world’s illicit smuggled across borders into Russia, China, Europe, and North America.”

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“The Taliban government claims that since Islam strictly prohibits substance use, it is committed to eradicating addiction across all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.”

“This center struggles to provide even the most basic medical care. Those undergoing recovery often experience difficult withdrawal symptoms and the lack of medicines makes harder for them to heal.”

“Despite the challenges, [Camp Pheonix] offers some support: meal, shelter and the community of people who are working towards recovery.”

“Many of the individuals here are educated. Some lost their families in the war, while others have spent years unable to find employment. With no escape from the harsh realities of their lives, many turned to substance abuse as a coping mechanism. A large number of them once had dreams and ambitions, but the prolonged crisis in Afghanistan had stripped them of any hope for a better future.”