Taliban administration sells Kunar gemstones for 154.5 million afghanis

The Taliban-run Department of Mines and Petroleum in Kunar said it has sold the province’s precious and semi-precious stones for 154.5 million afghanis through an auction, in a move reflecting the administration’s continued reliance on mining as a source of revenue.

Mohammadshirin Haqani, head of mines and petroleum for the Taliban administration in Kunar, said the stones were sold on Wednesday, Sept. 25. According to him, 15 million afghanis from the sale will go to the Taliban administration’s treasury.

He said the stones had been extracted from various areas of Kunar province and included beryl, kunzite, quartz and morganite. According to the Taliban official, foreign traders also took part in the bidding, but he did not explain which countries they were from.

Since returning to power, the Taliban administration has turned mining, especially gold and precious stones, into one of its key sources of income. However, some citizens and political groups describe the administration’s method of extracting and selling mines as “looting the mines.”

Kunar lies in eastern Afghanistan and is among the provinces whose mineral resources, especially precious and semi-precious stones, have repeatedly attracted attention.