An Afghan labourer unload a sack of coal from a truck at a coal yard in Kabul on November 13, 2017. (Photo by Noorullah Shirzada/AFP Photo)





In this photograph taken on October 27, 2017 an Afghan woman collects saffron flowers after picking them in a field on the outskirt of Herat For years, Afghanistan has tried to give farmers alternatives such as fruit crops and saffron to wean them away from poppy farming – the lifeblood of the Taliban insurgency. International donors have splurged billions of dollars on counter- narcotics efforts in Afghanistan over the past decade, including efforts to encourage farmers to switch to other cash crops such as saffron. But those efforts have shown little results. (Photo by Hoshang Hashimi/AFP Photo)





An Internally displaced an Afghan man prays as he sit at a refugee camp in Kabul on November 19, 2017. (Photo by Noorullah Shirzada/AFP Photo)





Afghan schoolgirls take part in a running race held for a peace initiative in Herat Province on November 11, 2016. (Photo by Aref Karimi/AFP Photo)





An Afghan bird vendor waits for customers at his shop in the bird market in Kabul on November 2, 2015. (Photo by Aref Karimi/AFP Photo)





Afghan women collect saffron flowers in the Karukh district of Herat, Afghanistan, 06 November 2016. The Saffron industry in the province of Herat, based on the figures, has hired more than 5,000 people with 40 per cent of them women covering about 1000 acres of land. The plant is seen as an alternative to the poppy cultivation and international buyer around the world have been attracted for its good quality including Europe, the USA, China and India. (Photo by Jalil Rezayee/EPA)





An Afghan vendor arranges a mound of harvested carrots soon after pouring water to keep them fresh in Jalalabad on December 19, 2014. Poverty and an ongoing insurgency by the ousted Taliban still pose a threat to the stability of the country. (Photo by Noorullah Shirzada/AFP Photo)





Afghan boys transport plants with donkeys, in Herat, Afghanistan, 14 September 2015. Afghanistan's economy has improved significantly after suffering from decades of fighting. The economy was boosted by the infusion of international aid and the recovery of the agricultural sector. (Photo by Jalil Rezayee/EPA)





In this photograph taken on February 12, 2015, an Afghan Kuchi resident carries a water canister past ruins of a building destroyed during the Afghan-Soviet war on the outskirts of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province. (Photo by Noorullah Shirzada/AFP Photo)





An Afghan strenght athlete erects a trunk during a strongman show in Herat, Afghanistan, 08 November 2016. For nearly two decades during the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, sports and games including boxing, soccer, volleyball, kite flying and chess had been banned as immoral and unlawful. (Photo by Jalil Rezayee/EPA)





In this August 19, 2017 file photo, fans of singer Aryana Saeed cheer, during a concert to commemorate Afghanistan's Independence Day in Kabul, Afghanistan. The annual survey by the San Francisco-based Asia Foundation. released Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, has found that Afghans are slightly more optimistic about the future than they were last year, despite a stagnant economy and near-constant attacks by a revitalized Taliban. The foundation acknowledged that the slight increase in optimism is “difficult to explain”. (Photo by Massoud Hossaini/AP Photo)





An Afghan internally displaced woman prepares traditional bread at her home on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, October 30, 2017. The war-torn country faces the challenges of poverty, unemployment, and a lack of infrastructure. (Photo by Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)





Afghan children study at an open area in Ghani Khel district of Jalalabad, Afghanistan November 6, 2017. (Photo by Reuters/Parwiz)





Afghan children walk home after classes, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, November 6, 2017. (Photo by Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)





In this April 17, 2014, an Afghan farmer works on a poppy field collecting the green bulbs swollen with raw opium, the main ingredient in heroin, in the Khogyani district of Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. A joint survey by the Afghan government and the United Nation shows that the opium production in Afghanistan has increased by 87 percent in 2017, compared with 2016 levels. (Photo by Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)





In this August 10, 2016 file photo, the brother of Zarah, a pregnant 14-year-old, who died after she was set on fire in her husband's home, mourns during her funeral, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The annual survey by the San Francisco-based Asia Foundation. released Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017, has found that Afghans are slightly more optimistic about the future than they were last year, despite a stagnant economy and near-constant attacks by a revitalized Taliban.. (Photo by Rahmat Gul/AP Photos)





In this October 24, 2017, file photo, an Afghan health worker escorts a suspected drug addict during a campaign to collect drug users in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo by Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)





In this September 22, 2017 file photo, cricket fans celebrate during the Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL) final match in Kabul, Afghanistan. The annual survey by the San Francisco-based Asia Foundation, released Tuesday, November 14, 2017, has found that Afghans are slightly more optimistic about the future than they were last year, despite a stagnant economy and near-constant attacks by a revitalized Taliban. (Photo by Rahmat Gul/AP Photos)





Afghan laborers reconstruct Yu Aw Synagogue, one of four the Jewish synagogues in Herat, Afghanistan, 06 November 2017. The Yu Aw is one of four synagogues in the old quarter of Herat which has now been reconstructed by the Afghan government after decades of abandonment and neglect. (Photo by Jalil Rezayee/EPA/EFE)





In this September 11, 2017 file photo, Afghan Shiite boys kiss a holy mace to bring blessings, at the Karti Sakhi shrine, in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo by Rahmat Gul/AP Photos)





Day laborers clean coriander seed in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, November 23, 2017. (Photo by Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)