The Taliban’s office in Panjshir has announced that the cost of obtaining a mining license for emerald extraction in the province has been reduced from 90,000 to 25,000 Afghanis.
The office issued a statement on Sunday, April 12, saying that this move is aimed at providing more facilities for miners.
The Taliban office in Panjshir also mentioned that in the past year, 111،570 carats of emeralds extracted from the province’s mines were sold for a total value of $4,178,000.
According to Taliban statistics, over 1,700 emerald mines have been discovered and are being worked on in Panjshir. Since their return to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban has been regularly extracting emeralds from Panjshir’s mines and selling the products.
In addition to emeralds, the Taliban has also started the extraction of sapphires, peridot, and spinel in Panjshir.
However, the Taliban’s mining activities in Afghanistan have faced widespread criticism, with several political groups accusing them of “looting” the country’s mineral resources.
