Afghanistan is one of the world’s most resource-rich yet impoverished countries. Beneath its mountains and deserts lie vast reserves of gold, copper, coal, rare earth elements, lithium, and precious stones—resources that could have formed the backbone of national development, employment, and regional trade. Instead, under Taliban rule, Afghanistan’s mining and mineral sector has become a cornerstone of repression, corruption, and terrorism financing. What should be a source of shared prosperity has been transformed into a weapon that entrenches instability at home and threatens security far beyond Afghanistan’s borders.

Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban have moved swiftly to consolidate control over mining areas across the country. From Badakhshan’s gold deposits to coal mines in northern Afghanistan and talc and chromite operations in the east, the Taliban have asserted monopoly authority. Licenses are issued without transparency, contracts are awarded to loyalists or foreign intermediaries, and revenues flow directly to Taliban coffers rather than any accountable state mechanism. This centralized control is not about governance—it is about extraction.

Mining has long been a lucrative source of income for armed groups in Afghanistan, but under the Taliban it has become systematized. Taxes, royalties, and outright seizures are........

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