8am: In the nearly three years since the Taliban’s rise to power, they have significantly expanded the unregulated and illegal extraction of the country’s mineral resources. The group has announced that during this period, they have signed contracts for the extraction of over 150 small mines with domestic companies and 30 large mines with Chinese, Iranian, Turkish, and Qatari companies. Meanwhile, the former Minister of Mines and Petroleum argues that Afghanistan lacks a legitimate government under international law, and no company or country has the right to enter into contracts with a geography devoid of a legitimate state. He asserts that any future government of Afghanistan has the right to take the contracting parties to international courts and seek compensation. Click here to read more (external link).