Taliban Sell Over 8,700 Kilograms of Gemstones in Nuristan Auction

The Taliban’s Directorate of Mines and Petroleum in Nuristan province has announced the sale of over 8,785 kilograms of precious and semi-precious stones in a public auction.

Sayed Rahim Omair, head of the department, said the auction was held on Friday, November 27, in Du Ab district and was attended by 50 local traders. According to Omair, the total value of the stones sold amounted to 111.557 million Afghanis.

The Taliban’s mining authority stated that the government collected over 11.155 million Afghanis in taxes from the auction proceeds. Omair named the stones sold as beryl, kunzite, and morganite, all of which were extracted from mines in the Du Ab district.

While the Taliban administration has touted the sale as an achievement, local residents and civil society activists have criticized such actions as systematic looting of the country’s resources. The unregulated extraction and sale of mineral resources across several provinces, including Nuristan, have raised serious concerns over transparency, sustainable resource management, and the exclusion of local communities from the benefits of their natural wealth.

Since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have sought to capitalize on the country’s natural resources as a source of revenue. However, the lack of a formal legal and oversight framework has contributed to growing unease among residents and economic experts alike.