Thousands of Workers Trapped in Badakhshan Clashes

Local sources in Badakhshan say that following clashes between the Taliban administration and the forces of dissident commander Juma Khan Fateh, nearly 5,000 workers have been stranded in mines in the province, a situation that, according to the sources, has left them facing shortages of food and other basic necessities.

The newspaper 8Subh, citing sources, reported that more than 2,000 workers remain trapped in the Kula Kham, Washni Shahr, Arward, Wajam Bala and Argas mines in Nasi district. According to the same sources, about 2,500 other workers from Shaki district and several other districts of Badakhshan have also been stranded amid the fighting in the Deh Khwa, Zangriya, Maimik, Shirin Nazm and Qatqati mines.

Sources told 8Subh that these workers do not have access to food or basic facilities and that their situation is alarming. According to the sources, at least seven workers were killed by gunfire from Taliban administration special forces while they were trying to obtain food.

Some workers also told 8Subh that they had spent large sums to extract gold from these mines, but that their work has been halted by the presence and interference of non-local Taliban administration forces, causing them significant financial losses. According to the workers, these non-local Taliban administration forces threatened them that if they left their workplaces, they would be at risk of being killed.

Badakhshan is one of Afghanistan’s mineral-rich provinces in the northeast, and the districts of Nasi and Shaki are among the areas where gold mines are operating. In past years, reports have also emerged of tensions over control of the mines and the presence of armed forces in these areas.