Taliban Deploys Special Unit to Badakhshan, Shuts Down Gold Processing Workshops
A special 1,000-strong unit affiliated with Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban administration, has been deployed to Badakhshan province. In its first action, the unit has shut down several gold processing workshops across five districts of Darwaz. This operation was led by Mohammad Ismail Ghaznavi, the Taliban governor of Badakhshan.
A video released of the operation shows forces from the special unit destroying tunnel entrances and mining equipment related to gold extraction. Local sources indicate that these workshops belonged to some Tajik Taliban members.
Reports indicate that the Kandahar branch of the Taliban had previously relocated several senior Tajik commanders from Badakhshan to other provinces before beginning the process of closing and demolishing the gold extraction and processing workshops.
It is said that Tajik members of the Taliban were receiving a share of the revenue from gold mining in Badakhshan. The province is known for its significant mineral reserves in northeastern Afghanistan, and the management and control of these resources have frequently faced criticism regarding transparency and monopolization within the Taliban administration.
These developments come while the Taliban administration has so far not provided clear details about the fate of the revenue from these mines, how it is distributed, or the legal basis for the destruction of the facilities. This has once again raised questions about the management of the country’s natural resources under the current regime.
