Foreign Policy has uncovered that fourteen groups aligned with Al-Qaeda benefit from the income of the Taliban's mining operations.
The Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Jamaat Ansarullah, and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, and Al-Qaeda across regions such as the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, the Indian Subcontinent, and East Africa capitalise on these mining revenues.
Taliban Supplies Al-Qaeda with Essentials
Referring to a confidential document, Foreign Policy detailed how the Taliban provides Al-Qaeda commanders and operatives with a range of support, with weaponry and shelter for women and passports. This support enables Al-Qaeda access an extensive heroin trade network.
According to the report, this drug trafficking network, which had previously financed the Taliban’s conflict against Afghanistan's former government, is now available to Al-Qaeda.
According to foreign policy, the document also reveals that post-Taliban victory in August 2021, the pathways for smuggling methamphetamine, arms, cash, and gold have been re-routed. Militants from Yemen, Libya, Somalia, and Palestinian territories frequent Al-Qaeda’s reinvigorated training camps, secured by the Taliban’s intelligence agency.
Al-Qaeda's $195 Million Plunder from Takhar and Badakhshan Gold Mines
The report reviewed by Foreign Policy stated that Al-Qaeda rakes in tens of millions of dollars weekly from gold mining in Badakhshan and Takhar. Parts of this report revealed by Foreign Policy show that Al-Qaeda claims a 25% cut from these mining operations, accumulating $194.4 million since 2022.
The report stressed that this mining effort too employs tens of thousands, safeguarded by warlords allied with the Taliban.
The analysis focused on eleven gold mines where Al-Qaeda had partnership interests. Profits from these ventures are split between two Taliban factions sympathetic to Al-Qaeda: Sirajuddin Haqqani's faction in Kabul and Hibatullah Akhundzada’s faction in Kandahar, highlighting the intimate connections both factions have with Al-Qaeda.
Shared among Western diplomats and UN officials, this report extensively documents the influence of the group, once led by Osama bin Laden, within the Taliban’s ranks.
According to Foreign Policy, based on this report, Al-Qaeda exploits Afghanistan's natural resources and diverts international humanitarian assistance.
This investigation, produced by a London-based private firm and independently validated by Foreign Policy, draws on recent research conducted within Afghanistan. It includes a roster of senior Al-Qaeda members and delineates their operational roles within the Taliban regime.