8am: Local sources in Badakhshan province reveal the existence of an extensive and organized network for the plunder of gold mines and other natural resources by influential figures affiliated with the Taliban. According to sources, this process is carried out systematically using force, corruption, and collusion with some Taliban leaders. Sources also report the involvement
Amu: Dozens of residents in Takhar province staged protests against what they call the plundering of gold reserves in the Chah Ab district. The protests that started Sunday and continued into Monday called for addressing the issue by relevant institutions. Sources told Amu TV that companies operating in the region appear to be engaged in
WION: Amid Afghanistan’s crumbling economy, Afghan youth are taking up odd jobs like dismantling electronics to extract specks of gold. An easier access in recent years to acid necessary in the hazardous process has sparked a small revival in the trade. Click here to read more (external link).
Firstpost: The dire economic situation in Afghanistan, exacerbated by the recent Taliban takeover and ongoing poverty affecting half the population, has driven many like Sharif, a former livestock keeper, to turn to mining for survival. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Thursday reported 76 new positive cases of COVID-19 out of 2,559 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The ministry reported that the cumulative total of known COVID-19 cases is 57,019, the total number of reported deaths is 2,521, and the total number of recoveries is 51,956.
VOA News January 6, 2019 At least 30 people have been killed in an apparent mine collapse in northern Afghanistan, officials said Sunday. Villagers in Kohistan district of Badakhshan province had dug into a river bed mining for gold when the walls around them collapsed, according to local officials. At least seven others have been
Associated Press: A company founded by a London-based banker signed agreements Friday with the government of Afghanistan to explore for gold and copper in the north of the country. Centar Ltd. said it hopes to begin exploration in two sites next year and would within a year become one of the largest private-sector employers in the
Tolo News: Mohammad Rustam Raghi, governor of Badakhshan’s Raghistan district, said on Friday the Taliban is making three million AFs per month from the Raghistan Gold Mine and the money gets divided among 30 armed anti-government groups. “Taliban has divided Raghistan Gold Mine among 30 groups and every group earns 100,000 AFs per month. Taliban then
Tolo News: Badakhshan’s mining and petroleum department on Wednesday raised concerns over the illegal extraction of gold and lapis lazuli by insurgents in the province. Badakhshan’s mining director Mohammad Akbar Anwari, who raised the matter, said terrorists and groups of armed men have accelerated the extraction of gold from mines in Raghistan district and lapis in
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).