Taliban Leader Orders Probe into Commanders’ Assets in Badakhshan Amid Mining Tensions

Hibatullah Akhundzada, leader of the Taliban administration, has issued an official directive appointing a high-level committee to investigate the assets and properties of commanders and local officials of the group in Badakhshan province amid rising tensions over mining activities. According to a leaked letter dated May 2, the purpose of this move is to assess the status of properties and prevent what has been described as “illegal extraction of resources and local concessions.” The letter calls on Taliban ministries and security agencies to fully cooperate in identifying and examining the assets of local officials. The letter emphasizes that the appointed committee must gather precise information about the assets, properties, and economic activities of local commanders in Badakhshan and report back to the central authority. The Taliban leader also warned that those who disobey the directive will face action and be arrested. This decision comes as tensions over mining, especially gold, have increased in recent weeks in several districts of Badakhshan. Previously, local sources had published video footage reporting that Fasihuddin Fetrat, chief of staff of the Taliban army, traveled to Nusay district to investigate the situation following escalating disputes over gold extraction. Badakhshan is a province rich in valuable gold and precious stones. Since the Taliban’s recapture of Afghanistan, multiple reports have emerged about unsupervised and substandard mining operations in these areas—conditions that have repeatedly sparked clashes among Taliban fighters themselves and between them and local residents, raising concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability in managing the country’s natural resources.