Iran To Impart Training To Engineers of Taliban’s Ministry of Mines
During a meeting with the Taliban's Minister of Mines, the Iranian delegation announced the willingness of Iranian investors to extract iron, coal, and oil mines.
During a meeting with the Taliban's Minister of Mines, the Iranian delegation announced the willingness of Iranian investors to extract iron, coal, and oil mines.
According to the Taliban, the Iranian delegation also committed to holding training courses on standard mining for engineers from the group's Ministry of Mines.
Mullah Hidayatullah Badri, the Taliban's Minister of Mines and Petroleum, met with Ahmad Mohseni, a representative of the Iranian government, and representatives of six mining companies on Tuesday, to discuss investment in Afghanistan's mineral resources.
According to the Taliban, representatives of Iranian companies are interested in investing in Afghanistan's iron, coal and oil mines.
Earlier, the Taliban's Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced the visit of a delegation from the Islamic Republic of Iran to Kabul and said that the delegation had proposed investment for "the establishment of a special economic and mineral zone between Iran and Afghanistan" and the extraction of Afghanistan's iron mines.
An investigative report by Afghanistan International Pashto reveals that around 50 high-ranking Taliban officials have purchased or "seized" luxury homes worth millions of dollars in the affluent Aino Maina neighbourhood of Kandahar.
Sources have confirmed to Afghanistan International that the value of these homes range from $90,000 to $1 million.
Some Taliban officials have reportedly begun constructing modern homes in Aino Maina, with costs estimated to reach as high as $8 million.
Afghanistan International conducted interviews with at least 50 sources, including four real estate agents in Kandahar, for this report.
Aino Maina, a posh neighbourhood in Kandahar, was previously home to government officials, businessmen, and some "smugglers" during the previous regime. Since the Taliban's rise to power, it has become a favoured and secure location for Taliban officials, with many of these homes now serving as residences and investment properties for the group's leaders.
Many of these properties are opulent palaces and luxurious guesthouses.
Sources indicate that approximately 90% of high-ranking Kandahari Taliban officials have either purchased or seized homes in Aino Maina. Some Taliban officials from other provinces have also bought homes or started constructing new ones in the area.
According to Afghanistan International's investigation, several Taliban officials who have acquired these expensive homes in Aino Maina did not possess such wealth or assets when the group first came to power.
Sources estimate the total value of the homes owned by Taliban members in Aino Maina to exceed $13 million.
The Taliban are reportedly keen to buy or build homes in Aino Maina due to its safety and ease of control.
Here are details on some of the Taliban officials who have acquired new homes and palaces in Aino Maina:
Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, Taliban Leader
Sources report that Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the reclusive leader of the Taliban, has seized the guest house of General Abdul Raziq, the former police commander of Kandahar, located in the western part of Aino Maina.
The source added that Akhundzada frequently resides in this luxurious guesthouse and meets Taliban ministers there. In addition to the guest house, the Taliban leader has also seized General Raziq's home.
It is also reported that Mullah Hibatullah has taken over the house of Tadin Khan, General Raziq's brother, located opposite the guesthouse, and turned it into his residence.
The total cost of the guesthouse and two homes is estimated to be around $1.5 million.
To secure Akhundzada's guesthouse, the Taliban have blocked four roads in the neighbourhood, preventing any free movement in the area.
Fathullah Mansoor, Son of Former Taliban Leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor
Fathullah Mansoor, the son of the former Taliban leader and current Deputy Minister of Transportation and Civil Aviation, has reportedly purchased a home in Aino Maina's western parts for $350,000.
Before his current position, Mansoor was in charge of Kandahar airport, which was previously one of the largest US military bases after the Bagram airfield in Afghanistan.
Mansoor has been repeatedly accused of selling US-supplied equipment and vehicles in the "black market”.
Abdul Manan Omari, Brother of Taliban founder
Abdul Manan Omari, the brother of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar and the current Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, has purchased a $400,000 home in Aino Maina for his second wife.
Two credible sources told Afghanistan International that during Omari's tenure as Minister of Public Works, he withheld six months' worth of revenue from the Aqina port, approximately $1 million, from the government's treasury.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Taliban's Deputy
Prime Minister for Economic Affairs
Sources revealed that Mullah Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, owns several homes in Aino Maina's 31st to 33rd streets. These properties house his sons, family members, and relatives, with values ranging from $100,000 to $600,000.
Hidayatullah Badri, Minister of Mines and Petroleum
Hidayatullah Badri, the current Minister of Mines and Petroleum and former Minister of Finance and head of the Taliban-controlled central bank, has built a home and guesthouse in Aino Maina worth $600,000.
Sources claim Badri is the wealthiest Taliban official, with his primary source of income being the drug trade.
Mullah Abdul Haq, Deputy Minister for Counter-Narcotics
Mullah Abdul Haq, the Deputy Minister for Counter-Narcotics at the Ministry of Interior, has purchased a $285,000 home in Aino Maina, where his family currently resides.
Abdul Ahad Talib, Commander of Mullah Hibatullah's Special Forces
Abdul Ahad Talib, the commander of Mullah Hibatullah's special forces, has seized the home of a former National Security employee, as well as another house in Aino Maina.
The total value of both homes is estimated at over $300,000.
Yusouf Wafa, Taliban Governor of Balkh
Yusouf Wafa, the former Taliban governor of Kandahar and current governor of Balkh province, has purchased a large hotel and two adjacent houses in Aino Maina's second district, each valued at $400,000.
Two roads leading to Wafa's home have been blocked, restricting access. His brother has also purchased a home in Aino Maina where his family resides.
These are just a few examples of the Taliban officials who have purchased or seized homes in Aino Maina. The total value of properties owned by these individuals is estimated at over $4.2 million.
In addition to these properties, Taliban officials are building new homes, schools, and guest houses in the second and third districts of Aino Maina and in the Bagh area, although exact costs are not yet available.
When the Taliban first regained control of Afghanistan, they seized many homes in this neighbourhood that belonged to officials of the previous government, including military commanders, provincial council members, and security personnel. Many of these homes remain under Taliban control today.
One former Afghan security commander, whose home was seized by the Taliban and returned after two years, told Afghanistan International, "Some former commanders' homes are still occupied by the Taliban. When they gave me back my home, nothing was left intact, and many belongings were taken."
Security in Aino Maina
The Taliban have made significant efforts to prevent photography and video recording in Aino Maina.
Taliban’s security forces have set up checkpoints throughout the area, and during visits by Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada or Taliban ministers, mobile phone networks are often disabled, and movement is restricted.
AFCO Construction Company
AFCO Construction Company is responsible for building, buying, selling, and managing homes, shops, and apartments in Aino Maina.
The company's operations are led by Mahmood Karzai, the brother of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
A source told Afghanistan International that the Taliban have largely taken control of property transactions from AFCO, with Taliban members no longer registering many of their homes with the company.
Currently, the company only handles cleaning, electrical services, and related maintenance tasks.
Aino Maina's construction began in 2002, initiated by Mahmood Karzai, and it now comprises five sections. The area offers comprehensive amenities, including educational and healthcare facilities, playgrounds, parks, and guesthouses.
Tajik media reported that the country has exported more than $82.3 million worth of electricity to Afghanistan and Uzbekistan over the past eight months.
According to reports, electricity exports to Afghanistan consist of 80% of this number.
According to Tajik media, the country's electricity exports to neighbouring countries decreased by $2.8 million in 2024 compared to the same time last year.
Tajikistan produced about 15.4 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in the first eight months of 2024, of which it exported 6.5%.
The country has signed an electricity export agreement for 2024 with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Electricity exports to Uzbekistan are carried out only in the summer, but continue to Afghanistan in the autumn and winter seasons.
The contract for the transmission of electricity to Afghanistan was signed in January 2023 between the Taliban-controlled Breshna Electric Company and the head of the Tajikistan Electricity Company in Türkiye.
Afghanistan imports about 75 percent of its electricity needs from neighbouring countries, especially Central Asia.
On Monday, the Taliban announced the inauguration ceremony of Abdul Ghafar Bahar, the group's ambassador to Uzbekistan.
At the same time, sources told Afghanistan International that Tashkent told the Taliban not to place the flag of Uzbekistan next to the Taliban flag due to the lack of recognition of the group.
The Taliban's embassy in Uzbekistan said in a statement that some of the group's officials, Afghans living in Tashkent and Uzbek diplomats were present for the ceremony.
The Taliban has said that Abdul Ghafar Bahar has officially started his work as the group's ambassador to Uzbekistan.
On September 18, the Taliban's Foreign Ministry introduced Bahar as the group's proposed ambassador to Uzbekistan.
Although Uzbekistan, like all countries, does not recognise the Taliban government, it has close diplomatic and economic relations with the group and has given the Afghan embassy in Tashkent to the Taliban.
UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary Di Carlo warned that the Doha process is in danger of being halted due to the Taliban's non-compliance with its commitments.
She said at a meeting on Monday that the international community expects the Taliban to participate in the process in good faith.
The meeting on the status of women was held in New York in the presence of the UN Secretary-General and some of the member states of this organisation.
Referring to the Taliban's Law on the Promotion of Virtue, Di Carlo said, "The countries participating in the Doha meetings are willing to continue this process, but the passage of the Law on the Promotion of Virtue reduces their willingness to participate in the Doha meetings, and there is a risk that it will be stopped."
"Those involved in the process want it to continue, but they expect the Taliban to fulfil their international obligations in good faith. Interaction is key," she added.
She also stressed on the need to increase pressure on the Taliban, saying that countries must act on what they say. "If we want the Taliban to take us seriously, we have to keep our word," DiCarlo added.
The third Doha Conference on Afghanistan was held under the chairmanship of Di Carlo. During this meeting, the issue of human rights and women's rights was removed from the agenda of talks with the Taliban, and instead, representatives of the Taliban and the participating countries talked about the growth of the private sector and the fight against drugs in Afghanistan.
The United Nations hopes that the Doha meeting will become a platform for understanding and convincing the Taliban to change its policies. However, the Taliban have rejected any international demand to change their policies towards women.
Emphasising on the importance of dialogue and engagement, DiCarlo noted that the Taliban must fulfil their commitments.
The UN deputy secretary-general called on the Taliban to work towards inclusivity of government, respect for the rights of women, girls and human rights in general, and increase efforts to combat terrorism and counter narcotics.
She reiterated that if these commitments are implemented, the international community will gradually reduce its restrictions and provide development assistance to Afghanistan.
"To be honest, without these measures, the Taliban and Afghanistan cannot return to the international community," DiCarlo said.
Local sources from Khost told Afghanistan International that a week ago, the Taliban took 16 women from the women's market and transferred them to the Khost Central Prison.
According to sources, the Taliban have accused these women of "not wearing the proper hijab and having illegitimate relationships”.
So far, local Taliban officials in Khost province have not commented on the matter.
Sources informed Afghanistan International on Monday that some of the detained women are residents of Lucknow and Zazi Maidan districts in Khost.
The families of the detained women say that the Taliban transferred the women to Khost Prison. They said that even after a week, the Taliban has not provided information about the reason and motive for the arrest of these women.
"The whole of Khost knows that only women go to the women's market, and the Taliban has allowed the women's market to be open, but now they have arrested women and put them in jail without any crime," said a relative of one of the detained women.
The women's market in Khost was built by the municipality during the previous government and was open after the Taliban came to power.
This women's market is located in the centre of Khost with dozens of shops, its shopkeepers are only women, and only women buy their necessities from this market.