Interim Taliban administration signs $6.5B mining contracts in Afghanistan

ISTANBUL

Domestic, Asian, and European companies Thursday signed seven major mining contracts worth around $6.5 billion with the interim Taliban administration in Afghanistan.

The contracts were signed in Kabul between the war-torn nation’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum and private companies from Afghanistan, Türkiye, Iran and China, said the office of acting deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, who attended the signing ceremony.

1/6: In the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, contracts worth $6.557 billion for seven large-scale mines were signed today, Thursday, August 31, between the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum and the winning companies. pic.twitter.com/xcnKhiEfvH

— د ریاست الوزراء اقتصادي معاونیت (@FDPM_AFG) August 31, 2023

According the Taliban officials, the mines are located in Herat, Ghor, Loghar, and Takhar provinces.

The contracts include extraction and processing of gold, copper, plumbum, and iron mines.

"A total of $6.557 billion will be invested in these seven projects. This will create thousands of jobs and significantly improve the economic situation of the country," said the statement.

This is the biggest deal signed by the Taliban since their return to rule in August 2021.