WASHINGTON - Despite spending about $1.8 billion, 569m of which paid to infamous mercenary firm formerly known as Blackwater, the Pentagon has failed to fight drugs production in Afghanistan, according to a new U.S. report

The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has said in its recent report that the opium production climbed steadily over recent years to reach record-high levels last year.

It reported that from over $7 billion spent by the United States to eradicate poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, about $1.8 billion of that was spent by the Pentagon.

Furthermore, the SIGAR report has revealed that Pentagon has failed to account $45 billion it spent since 2002 in Afghanistan.

This comes as the United Nations, last year in December, reported a 60% growth in Afghan land used for opium poppy cultivation since 2011, up to 209,000 hectares.

"Given the growth in opium poppy cultivation, it must be assumed that the Taliban's income from the illegal trade in narcotics has remained an important factor in generating assets for the group," the United Nations reported.

The Afghan analyst, meanwhile, strongly criticize the failure in curbing poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, blaming it on external hands involved in Afghanistan's affairs.

"This [report] shows that powerful internal and external hands are involved in growing narcotics in the country," said Chaman Shah Etemadi, member of counter-narcotics commission of the House of Representatives.

"About 50 countries are, somehow, present in Afghanistan but the drugs production is still growing. Even these drugs are being smuggled to these countries. Why don't they take any serious step?" another lawmaker Massoud Karokhi criticized.

According to SIGAR report, the Congress since 2002 has set aside $104 billion specifically for Afghanistan's reconstruction, of which, $66 billion went to Pentagon. (Tolonews)