Economics
Taliban, Islamic State Make Millions From Mining Afghan Minerals
- Global Witness says insurgents fight for control of mines
- Government says it has shut 100 illegal mines in past year
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Rising global demand for cosmetics, marble and stainless steel is helping Taliban and Islamic State militants in Afghanistan fund their increasingly violent insurgencies, according to an investigation by Global Witness.
The militant groups make millions of dollars annually mining talc, chromite and marble in eastern part of the war-torn nation. The international NGO in a report on Tuesday estimates the Taliban earns $2.5 million to $10 million a year from mining talc alone. It is unclear how much Islamic State’s local affiliate, which has fought and taken over mining areas from the Taliban in three districts of Nangarhar province, has managed to exploit the mines, according to Global Witness.