Reuters: Afghan Taliban militants have strengthened their grip on lucrative illegal mining operations in the north of the country, as security forces focus most of their efforts on battling the insurgency in the volatile south, officials said. Abuses by local commanders with private militias and beyond the purview of central government have also driven people into
Associated Press: The Wakhan corridor, which has been named Afghanistan’s second national park, is the country’s most — perhaps only — peaceful region. But it is so poor, even for Afghanistan, that people get food on credit or barter for it, and children go barefoot during the long, harsh winters. The Ismaili Shiite Muslim community here
Tolo News: Badakhshan local officials said Saturday that a gold mine in Raghistan district of Badakhshan has become a key source of income for the Taliban. Badakhshan provincial council warns that it will be impossible to clear the province of Taliban unless their revenue source is cut. Click here to read more (external link).
FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, July 30 (Xinhua) — A total of 11 people lost their lives as the mini-bus they were travelling in plunged into a river in northern Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province on Saturday, a local official said. “Twelve people were travelling in a mini-bus in Baharak district of Badakhshan province early today when it suddenly plunged
VOA News Ayaz Gul July 21, 2016 ISLAMABAD—Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan have overrun a remote northern district after days of intense clashes with government forces, officials confirmed to local media on Thursday. The Taliban first assaulted the district of Qala-e-Zal in Kunduz province earlier this week and both sides have since claimed to have inflicted
China Dialogue: For 6,500 years Afghanistan has been famous for the brilliant blue lapis lazuli, coveted by everybody from the Egyptian pharaohs to the common jewellers of today. These days mining of the precious stone is funding illegal armed groups and driving extremism and corruption in the northern province of Badakhshan, a two-year investigation by Global Witness,
Khaama Press: A relatively powerful earthquake jolted the capital Kabul and the surrounding areas of the city later this afternoon. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude 5.4 earthquake in Northwest of Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. According to USGS the earthquake started 45km Northwest of Alaqahdariye Kiran wa Munjan district with the location recorded 36.434°N 70.670°E
VOA News Ayaz Gul June 20, 2016 ISLAMABAD—Separate bomb explosions in Afghanistan Monday morning killed at least 24 people and wounded around 40 others. The deadliest attack occurred in Kabul when a suicide bomber approached a minibus on foot and set off explosives. The Afghan Interior Ministry says the attack left 14 people dead and
Khaama Press: A mild earthquake jolted Kabul city this afternoon with epicenter of the quake reported in northeastern Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the magnitude of the earthquake was 5.0 with the epicenter recorded in Jurm district having a location of 36.097°N 70.301°E and depth of 43 km. Click here
Tolo News: Mounting insecurity in Badakhshan has severely affected the domestic tourism industry in the province, said the provincial directorate of information and culture. The directorate said that in the past, more than 400 tourists a year visited the province to take in its pristine mountain scenery and the peaks of Pamir. However, due to a sharp