Afghanistan: Taliban Gold Rush Turns Deadly, Putting Spotlight on Chinese-Backed Mining

Jan 11, 2026
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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A deadly confrontation at a gold mine in northern Afghanistan has cast new light on the Taliban’s push to expand gold extraction, raising questions about the largely unregulated operations and their foreign -- mostly Chinese -- backing.

The latest incident comes as the Interior Ministry of the Taliban government confirmed on January 7 that ongoing clashes from last week between officials of a contracted gold-mining company and residents of Chah Ab district in Takhar Province have left four people dead and five others wounded.