Afghanistan’s Taliban-run Interior Ministry has confirmed that three protesters were killed during unrest over gold mining operations in Takhar province in the country’s northeast.
Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesperson for the ministry, said clashes broke out between residents of Chah Ab district and officials of a gold-washing company operating in the area. He said three local residents and one employee of the company were killed, while five others were injured.
Qani added that one security guard employed by the mining company and one local resident have been arrested on murder charges. He said the company’s operations have been suspended and an investigation is under way.
Residents of the Samti area of Chah Ab had been protesting against what they described as excessive gold mining and the damage caused by excavation to local water resources.
Earlier, local sources told media outlets that the protest had been suppressed by Taliban forces, leaving three people dead and six others wounded. According to the same sources, one Taliban member was also killed by protesters, and demonstrators set fire to property belonging to the mining company.
The Interior Ministry spokesperson did not comment on whether Taliban forces were involved in the suppression of the protests.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have significantly expanded the extraction of Afghanistan’s underground resources, including gold mines in Takhar and neighbouring Badakhshan provinces. These activities have repeatedly faced resistance from local communities.
In the summer, Taliban forces also cracked down on protests in Badakhshan after residents objected to the destruction of poppy fields. According to United Nations figures, at least 10 protesters were killed during that crackdown.
