Ariana: Local officials in Panjshir have announced the discovery of over 1,600 emerald mines in the province, with extraction currently underway at 600 sites. Over the past year, the extraction of emeralds from 600 mines in Panjshir has yielded 100,000 carats, valued at approximately $6.9 million. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Afghanistan’s vast mineral wealth, which includes copper, lithium, and rare earth elements, has long been viewed as a potential driver of economic growth. However, the secrecy surrounding mining revenues under Taliban rule has raised fears of resource mismanagement. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: Top officials allot and divide mines among themselves, focusing on filling their pockets, and disregarding national resources and future generations. Remaining revenue funds terrorist plans, reinforcing the totalitarian and tribal regime, expanding terrorist activities in Afghanistan and the region, and even financing al-Qaeda and other terror groups. In return, al-Qaeda and other groups provide
8am: The mines and underground resources of a country are not the property of its government but belong to the people of that country. Governments can only extract and utilize these resources when they are legitimate and lawful representatives of the people. This legitimacy stems from citizens granting authority to individuals or entities through elections
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
Khaama: It means the copper mining plant can severely pollute earth, water, and air– affecting the life of millions of people living in Kabul and Logar province. As per media reports, people in this area of Afghanistan rely on groundwater and if this waste is not properly handled, it can eventually contaminate the Logar River,
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi July 25, 2024 Chinese engineers and the Taliban government officially started work on a massive project in Afghanistan to mine the world’s second-largest deposit of copper. At the July 24 event at Mes Aynak, some 40 kilometers southeast of the capital, Kabul, Taliban officials along with Chinese businessmen and diplomats carried out
Afghanistan International: On the final day of the Vienna meeting, opponents of Taliban stated that setting the Doha meeting’s agenda according to the Taliban’s demands and the group’s unilateral participation indicates that the UN has deviated from its primary mission. In a declaration, they warned against any engagement and normalisation of relations between the international
Afghanistan International: Over the past two years, the Taliban has repeatedly auctioned Panjshir emeralds. Due to the economic crisis, the group has focused on extracting Afghanistan’s mines, a practice that Taliban opponents consider illegal due to the Taliban’s lack of legitimacy. Click here to read more (external link).
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,