KABUL: Mine workers in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province protested on Tuesday against the Taliban’s continued closure of mining sites, saying the ban has pushed hundreds of poor families into financial hardship.
Protesters told Afghanistan International that small mining workshops owned by low-income workers had been shut for nearly a month, while sites linked to powerful individuals were still operating.
They said that some workshops had been allowed to extract minerals after paying bribes to Taliban officials.
Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has issued a decree banning what the group describes as illegal mining. Workers, however, said the order was being applied unfairly and had mostly affected poor labourers.
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One worker, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said Taliban officials had collected three months of operating fees before mining began, even though payment was supposed to be made only after extraction and the discovery of gold.
Sources said protesters gathered outside the Taliban’s mining department building in Badakhshan, where some were threatened with weapons and beaten.
Workers said they tried to enter the building to raise their concerns, but Taliban officials ignored their demands.
Images received by Afghanistan International showed dozens of workers taking part in the protest. The Taliban has not commented.
Mining disputes in Badakhshan and Takhar have intensified in recent months, at times leading to clashes between residents and Taliban forces.
