Taliban Says 9.3kg of Tourmaline Sold at Auction in Kapisa

The Taliban administration said 9.3 kilograms of beryl, or tourmaline, extracted from mines in the Khanjarkhil area of Alasay district in Afghanistan’s Kapisa province, was sold at auction for 1.715 million Afghanis.

Enayatullah Iblagh, head of mines and petroleum in Kapisa, said the stone was offered for sale after being extracted from mines in the area and was eventually sold for more than 1.7 million Afghanis.

According to him, 10% of the money earned from the sale of the stone will be deposited into the Taliban administration’s treasury. He did not provide details on how the rest of the money would be spent.

Kapisa is considered one of Afghanistan’s mineral-rich provinces, and precious and semi-precious stones are extracted in some parts of the province. Tourmaline is used in jewellery and decorative industries and has commercial value because of its colour variety.