Taliban Factions Clash Over Gold Mine In Northern Afghanistan
Local sources say Taliban forces clashed on Monday in the Payan-Mor area of Shahr-e-Buzurg district in Badakhshan province over control of a gold mine, leaving several casualties.
Local sources say Taliban forces clashed on Monday in the Payan-Mor area of Shahr-e-Buzurg district in Badakhshan province over control of a gold mine, leaving several casualties.
According to the sources, the fighting erupted between Abdul Rahman Ammar, the former head of Badakhshan’s mining department, and Shafiqullah Hafizi, the current head of mines. Both men are influential Taliban figures in the province.
Reports indicate that Taliban border battalion forces sided with Hafizi and engaged in fighting against Ammar’s men. At least one member of the border battalion was reportedly killed during the clashes.
Sources said Abdul Rahman Ammar, though no longer holding an official position, remains a powerful local commander with his own loyal fighters and stockpile of weapons.
The Taliban’s internal fighting in Shahr-e-Buzurg district comes just three days after another armed confrontation between Taliban factions in the same area.
Local officials said the Taliban deployed reinforcements from the provincial capital to Shahr-e-Buzurg on Monday to prevent the conflict from escalating further.
The Taliban has not yet commented on the incident.
Over the past four years, the Taliban have placed increased emphasis on mining operations across Afghanistan, seeking to boost revenue from natural resources. However, critics and local residents have repeatedly questioned the group’s lack of transparency regarding mineral extraction and how the resulting income is used.
