Homayoun Afghan, spokesperson for the Taliban's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, stated that over the past three years, the ministry has signed contracts worth 10 billion Afghanis with various local companies for the extraction of small mines.
On Thursday, Afghan mentioned that these contracts were signed with Afghan investors across different sectors.
In an interview with Taliban-controlled National TV, he said that the ministry has also signed contracts for about 30 large mines worth at least $7 billion with domestic and foreign companies.
According to him, in 2023, contracts for 14 large mines extracting gold, ruby, coal, cement, lead, and zinc were signed. These mines are located in the provinces of Herat, Ghor, Baghlan, Takhar, Kabul, and several other provinces.
In April, the spokesperson for the Taliban's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum noted that since the group’s takeover of Afghanistan, countries such as China, Turkey, Qatar, Iran, and the United Kingdom have invested over $7 billion in the country.
The Taliban have not yet provided comprehensive information to the public about these contracts and the extracting companies. Critics have repeatedly criticised the Taliban for their lack of transparency in the collection and expenditure of Afghanistan's mining revenues.
