8am: The Taliban continue to sign illegal contracts for the extraction and exploitation of Afghanistan’s mines. They now control the country’s natural resources—wealth that once funded their war efforts through illegal mining—and have gained increased opportunities for exploitation as their criminal economic networks expand. Recently, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs announced the launch of “exploration and extraction” at 21 major mines in Afghanistan. However, citizens and economic experts have raised concerns over the unregulated extraction and smuggling of minerals in the absence of a legitimate government. They argue that the mining operations lack transparency and accountability, endangering the future of the country’s mines. Without a legitimate political framework, experts claim that these mining contracts only benefit the Taliban, not Afghanistan. Many citizens believe that the Taliban, who previously funded part of their insurgency through illegal mining, now use the proceeds to strengthen their criminal economy. By signing mining contracts, they secure a significant portion of the revenue from these resources. Click here to read more (external link).
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