Gold mining operations in parts of Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province have been suspended amid escalating tensions over control of mineral-rich areas, local sources said on Wednesday.
The suspension comes as Taliban attempt to contain growing unrest linked to gold mines in Shukai district and surrounding areas, where disputes between local residents, armed groups and rival Taliban-linked factions have intensified in recent weeks.
Abdul Matin Rahimzai, the Taliban’s head of mines and petroleum in Badakhshan, confirmed during a gathering in Shukai district that some mines in the province were under the control of armed local figures.
He warned that individuals involved in what he described as the illegal seizure of mines would face punishment and instructed local Taliban forces not to interfere in mining activities.
“No one is allowed to extract mines arbitrarily anymore,” Rahimzai said during the gathering.
The remarks came as Taliban officials, including their province’s governor and mining authorities, traveled to several districts — including Nusay, Kof Ab and Shukai — in an apparent effort to contain the tensions.
Local sources told Amu TV that a Taliban special force unit had also been deployed to Badakhshan to prevent further unrest.
The tensions follow reports that Taliban intelligence last week detained Musa Kaka, a Taliban commander in Nusay district and a close ally to Juma Khan Fateh, the Taliban deputy governor in Zabul province. Before his transfer to Zabul, Fateh was one of the key figures involved in gold mining activities in Badakhshan.
According to local sources, fighters affiliated with Musa Kaka and Juma Khan Fateh dispersed across different parts of Badakhshan after the arrest, contributing to unstable security conditions in several districts.
Residents of Shukai district have said Taliban-linked armed groups associated with Fateh have seized land contained gold deposits.
The dispute has already turned violent. Local sources said at least two people have been killed and 10 others wounded in clashes between residents and Taliban members over control of the mines.
Badakhshan, a mountainous province bordering Tajikistan, China and Pakistan, contains significant reserves of gold and other minerals. In recent years, competition over mining rights and local control of natural resources has increasingly fueled tensions among Taliban factions, local commanders and residents.
Analysts say the latest developments underscore growing internal strains within the Taliban administration as disputes over Afghanistan’s mineral wealth become increasingly sensitive political and economic issues.
