The Afghan government is indirectly but knowingly funnelling money to the Taliban through the country’s lucrative marble business, the Guardian has learned. Afghanistan’s vast mineral deposits, which under different circumstances could fund development, instead nourish some of the worst ills plaguing the war-torn nation: corruption, smuggling and a militant insurgency.
In Helmand province, large marble reserves are in areas long under Taliban control. The government, largely unable to extract marble on its own and intent on maintaining an embryonic marble industry, buys the stone from private companies, who in turn pay the Taliban ample taxes and for extraction rights.
As a result, the government adds to a revenue stream into the militant group’s coffers worth millions of dollars each year. In 2014, a UN monitoring team estimated that at least two-thirds of the $15m (£10m) made on Helmand marble each year went to the Taliban.
You've reached your daily free article limit.
Subscribe and support our veteran writing staff to continue reading.
The Afghan government is indirectly but knowingly funnelling money to the Taliban through the country’s lucrative marble business, the Guardian has learned. Afghanistan’s vast mineral deposits, which under different circumstances could fund development, instead nourish some of the worst ills plaguing the war-torn nation: corruption, smuggling and a militant insurgency.
In Helmand province, large marble reserves are in areas long under Taliban control. The government, largely unable to extract marble on its own and intent on maintaining an embryonic marble industry, buys the stone from private companies, who in turn pay the Taliban ample taxes and for extraction rights.
As a result, the government adds to a revenue stream into the militant group’s coffers worth millions of dollars each year. In 2014, a UN monitoring team estimated that at least two-thirds of the $15m (£10m) made on Helmand marble each year went to the Taliban.
The presidential envoy to Helmand, Abdul Jabbar Qahraman, put the figure even higher. He told the Guardian that the Taliban now made $50,000-$60,000 per day from marble, or more than $18m (£12m) annually.
Read More- The Guardian
Image courtesy of The Guardian
Russia Targets Starlink Signals with New Countermeasure System
Former Delta Force Operator Describes the Counter-Human Trafficking Operations of Deliver Fund
Inside Delta Force: America’s Most Elite Special Mission Unit
SOFREP Daily: Mystery Drones Prompt Temporary Flight Ban, Putin Challenges West to Test Hypersonic Missile, Japan Inspects US Base After Chemical Leak
Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis.
TRY 14 DAYS FREEAlready a subscriber? Log In
COMMENTS
You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article.