Goshta, Afghanistan:
A miner in the mountains of East Afghanistan poured water on a block of jade, exposing the green stone that is part of the impulse of the Taliban authorities to capitalize on the country’s rich mineral resources. By promoting the return of security, the Taliban government hastened to the court of local and foreign investors to exploit the underground wealth of the country and ensure a crucial income flow, although experts warn about the risks of cutting corners.
Esmeraldas, rubies, marble, gold and lithium: it is estimated that the resources buried in the rock landscape of Afghanistan are worth a billion dollars, according to US evaluations. UU. And the UN of 2010 and 2013.
Although the decades of war avoided these reserves of large -scale exploitation, approximately 200 contracts have been signed, most with local companies, which are worth billions of dollars in total from the return of the Taliban of 2021 to power, according to They show the official figures.
“We want Afghanistan to be self -sufficient, but there are obstacles,” Humayoun Afghan, spokesman for the Ministry of Mines, told Humayoun Afghan.
“We have no experts, or infrastructure, or knowledge.”
The Taliban authorities “will welcome anyone who wants to invest, especially those with mining experience,” he added.
Many of these contracts focus on mining exploration, a process that can take years and produce few results, while freely regulated extraction can leave behind environmental scars, the precaution of experts.
The United States Geological Service (USGS) has noticed the production of coal, talc and chromite, “increased sharply” in 2021 and 2022.
The authorities are prioritizing resources that could lose value before addressing others, such as lithium, whose prices can still increase in global markets.
The Ministry of Mines regularly publishes tenders for exploration and extraction projects, sending its lists of embassies of mining projects available to invite foreign companies to request, according to documents reviewed by AFP.
The World Bank says that the results are already visible: an expansion of 6.9 percent of mining and the quarry promoted an increase in the industrial sector of 2.6 percent in 2023-2024.
But while the government “has auctioned several small mining contracts to meet its cash requirements, many of these contracts have not yet begun operations,” he said in a December report.
For the expert in the mining sector Javed Noorani, the authorities are tending “perhaps 10 times more than their own ability to do things.”
‘The country is stabilized’
The Taliban fought against an insurgency of two decades against the Afghan government backed by the United States and NATO in Kabul, taking advantage of power in a rapid military campaign in 2021 after foreign forces withdrew.
Foreign investors had largely abandoned the country, but security has improved dramatically and the country’s road network has opened.
Most now fear being associated with the “Islamic Emirate”, which remains not internationally recognized and under Western sanctions.
However, some countries that maintain diplomatic and economic ties with Kabul, such as Iran, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Qatar, have taken the opportunity, with China leading the way.
“The first thing investors say when they meet with us is that the county has been stabilized, so they now want to invest,” said Afghan, who estimates that the sector has created 150,000 jobs since 2021.
Despite the best stability in the mountainous country, there have been sporadic attacks against foreigners claimed by the Islamic State Group, including a Chinese Mine worker murdered while traveling in the northern province of Takhar in January.
China at the head
The Chinese state company MCC is already operating in the Copper Deposit of Aynak, the second largest in the world, located 40 kilometers (25 miles) of Kabul, under a 2008 contract revived by the Taliban government.
Chinese companies have assured at least three other important mining projects, particularly in gold and copper, said Afghan.
In a car carved in a mountain in Goshta in the east of the province of Nangarhar, Jade is extracted to be used in jewelry.
“Most of our Nephrite go to China,” said Habibrahman Kawal, co -owner of the mine.
Kawal is satisfied with his prosperous business, without having invested in mining before the acquisition of the Taliban.
Only 14 mining companies currently operated under the previous government, according to the Britain -based information resilience.
“This suggests that a new set of companies dominates the mining sector in Afghanistan,” he said.
The Government refused to reveal income figures, but it benefits when taking shares in some companies and collecting royalties.
Environmental risks
Shir Baz Kaminzada, president of the Chamber of Industries and Mines of Afghanistan, said that some investors ignore international sanctions knowing “can make money.” In countries with strict regulations, “you will spend billions to start a mine.”
“In a place like Afghanistan, where there is very little experience with mining and very few regulations for mining, that is an advantage for companies,” said geophysicist David Chambers, president of a non -profit organization that provides technical assistance In mining activities.
This allows a faster job, but “it could cause environmental or economic damage,” he said.
The main danger is found in the waste from the mine, since only one percent of what is excavated is eliminated.
The rest can contain iron sulfide minerals that contaminate the soil if it comes into contact with water.
The Ministry of Mines states that it adheres to the existing legislation to ensure that the mines are “clean” after extraction, without providing more details.
“Every dollar that does not spend on the design of a safe tailings dam (to contain waste) or in water cleaning, that is profits,” said Chambers.
“But again, that leads to more long -term potential costs.”
In Afghanistan, Kaminada admitted: “People are not taking care of the long term.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a union feed).
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