Local Sources: Taliban-Affiliated Men Kill a Miner in Ragh District.
Local sources in Ragh district of Badakhshan report that Zahiruddin, a resident of Ab-Jam village, was killed last night by an individual affiliated with the Taliban.
According to these sources, a man named Amrullah—an armed member of Emaduddin Karimi’s group and linked to Mawlawi Najib, a Taliban commander in Laghman—has been identified as the perpetrator. Residents say miners in this district reach gold veins only after great hardship, but the Taliban forcibly seize such sites once they are identified and extract the minerals themselves. They add that powerful individuals extort miners and force them to pay a “share.”
Residents of Ab-Jam village have called on local Taliban authorities to address the case, saying the perpetrators are known to the community. Meanwhile, citizens across the country express concern over the Taliban’s uncontrolled extraction of gold, warning that it is depleting national resources and causing environmental damage.
