The Taliban have suspended the operations of a gold mining company in Chah Ab district of Takhar province and detained two people on suspicion of murder following deadly clashes with local residents, a Taliban official said.
Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Interior Ministry, told media that mining activities were halted after violence erupted between residents and company personnel. He said one local resident and one company official had been arrested in connection with the killings.
Qani said three local residents and one company employee were killed in the clashes. He added that security forces have brought the situation under control and that all mining operations in the area have been suspended.
He also said the Taliban’s deputy governor of Takhar, Mohammad Nader Haqjo, had been sent to the district to investigate the incident.
However, sources told Afghanistan International that following Monday’s clashes, Taliban forces detained several local residents and that others were reported missing. The sources said Haqjo travelled to Chah Ab on Tuesday, and issued threats to protesters during a meeting.
No official details have been released regarding the number of detainees or the whereabouts of those reported missing.
The Taliban had earlier confirmed that a delegation was dispatched to investigate the clashes, saying the violence resulted in casualties and financial damage but without providing exact figures.
Local sources previously told Afghanistan International that at least three residents and one Taliban member were killed and 16 others wounded during confrontations between Chah Ab residents and Taliban-linked companies. Protesters reportedly set fire to mining equipment, prompting company officials to leave the area.
Former Taliban commander criticises corruption
Separately, Salahuddin Salar, a former deputy intelligence chief at the Taliban Defence Ministry, issued a sharp critique of the group’s governance in a post on Facebook.
Salar accused Taliban officials of “corruption, ethnic favouritism and prioritising personal and tribal interests over justice and the public good”. He said the concentration of wealth and national resources in the hands of a small group had widened the gap between the public and those in power, undermining the legitimacy of authority.
He warned that governments often collapse when “greed and personal interest replace wisdom and concern for the public interest”, adding that only justice, accountability and respect for human dignity could prevent such an outcome.
Residents of Chah Ab say their protests were triggered by what they describe as excessive gold mining, severe environmental damage and water shortages caused by excavation by Taliban-linked companies. Despite the dispatch of a Taliban delegation, locals say tensions in the area remain high.
