The United Nations says opium production in Afghanistan will hit a new high this year.
A new report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime says the country's opium harvest jumped 17 percent from last year to about 6,400 tons.
The report says total land area used for the production of opium expanded in Afghanistan by 7 percent this year to around 224,000 hectares.
Analysts say Afghanistan produces more than 80 percent of the world's illicit opium, and profits from the illegal trade help fund the Taliban insurgency.
The U.S. has spent $7.8 billion fighting the drug trade in Afghanistan since invading in 2001.