ISLAMABAD: Internal power struggles, corruption and disputes over control of mineral resources are fuelling violence and unrest in northern Afghanistan, where the Taliban regime’s opaque management of the mining sector has intensified tensions between rival factions, mining companies and local communities, according to a report by the Pak Asia Youth Forum.
The report, titled Gold, Power and Grievance: Afghanistan’s Mining Sector and Unrest, states that the mining industry operates under the Taliban with little transparency, weak financial oversight and limited legal accountability, allowing powerful officials and commanders to benefit from mineral wealth while local communities bear the consequences.
Afghanistan possesses substantial mineral resources, including lithium, rare earth elements, copper, cobalt, gold and precious stones. However, the report argues that the absence of effective oversight and transparent concession procedures has turned the sector into a source of factional competition, corruption and local grievances.
It identifies a power struggle between the Kandahar-based Taliban leadership and the Haqqani Network as a major driver of tensions over mining rights and revenue distribution.
According to the report, commanders affiliated with the Haqqani faction have resisted efforts to transfer control of mining operations to officials aligned with the Kandahar leadership.
The rivalry intensified following a 2024 reshuffle of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, when Sheikh Shahabuddin Delawar was replaced by Haji Gul Agha, also known as Mullah Hidayatullah Badri, who is aligned with the Kandahar faction.
The report says the struggle for control over mining concessions has exposed divisions within the Taliban administration, undermining its claims of effective governance and contributing to insecurity in resource-rich regions.
Gold mining disputes turn deadly
The northeastern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar, known for their gold deposits, gemstones and other mineral resources, have become flashpoints for disputes over mining rights.
Local communities have faced forced displacement, the seizure of agricultural land, environmental degradation and violent crackdowns. Residents have also complained that the economic benefits of mining are concentrated among influential individuals rather than being shared with the communities living near extraction sites.
According to the report, disputes involving rival Taliban factions, mining companies and local residents have repeatedly escalated into deadly confrontations in the two provinces.
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One such incident occurred in January 2026 in the Samti area of Chah Ab district in Takhar, where a clash left four people dead and five others injured.
The report also describes armed confrontations in Badakhshan’s Nusay district involving Jumma Khan Fateh, a commander affiliated with the Haqqani faction. Fateh surrendered on August 17, according to the report, after the factional conflict escalated.
The Taliban subsequently disclosed an intercepted audio recording that indicated Fateh had contacted the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), an armed opposition group fighting the Taliban regime.
The episode illustrates how disputes over economic interests and territorial influence can intersect with wider security challenges confronting the Taliban authorities.
Opaque contracts and corruption
The report raises serious concerns about the allocation of mining concessions, saying that major contracts have been awarded through informal applications and personal connections rather than open and competitive tenders.
It cites mega corruption cases, including a $200,000 bribe linked to the Wikador mine and a $700,000 scheme involving talc in Nangarhar province. It also points to undisclosed financial interests held by senior officials in mining operations, including the Awez gold deposit in Shahri Buzurg district.
Such practices, the report argues, undermine accountability and allow politically connected individuals to benefit from Afghanistan’s mineral wealth without adequate public scrutiny.
The lack of independent audits and effective financial oversight further limits transparency over mining revenues and their distribution, according to the publication.
Local grievances at the centre of unrest
The report concludes that the continuing unrest in northern Afghanistan is rooted primarily in domestic power struggles, disputes over mining revenues and longstanding local grievances, rather than external interference.
It argues that the Taliban regime’s handling of the mining sector has created a system in which control over valuable resources fuels competition among powerful factions, while affected communities face displacement, environmental damage and insecurity.
The findings raise questions about the Taliban authorities’ ability to regulate the country’s mineral wealth transparently and equitably, particularly in regions where competing interests over gold and other resources have repeatedly erupted into violence.
