Government confirms Daesh mining Afghan minerals

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AT-KABUL: The government confirmed reports by some international organizations regarding the extraction of mines by Daesh terrorist group in different areas including in Nangarhar province in the east.
Defense ministry said Wednesday that other terrorist groups were also extracting mines in the areas under their control.
The Global Witness said earlier that Daesh “started extracting mines in Afghanistan”.
“We confirm the report that the Daesh terrorist group and other terrorist groups are extracting mines and gain money from this way to buy arms, ammunition and explosives from foreign countries,” said Mohammad Radmanesh, spokesman for defense ministry.
According to the Global Witness, Pakistani and Saudi architects and mine experts were working with the Daesh group in extracting mines in Afghanistan. The report quoted people who wished to remain anonymous as saying that Daesh had brought and settled heavy machineries to Nangarhar province to extract valuable gems.
These people had told the Global Witness that Daesh terrorists held the areas where mine are located.
The report added that the gems extracted by Daesh terrorist group, were smuggled to abroad via Pakistan, adding that the group had imposed restrictions in the mine areas and people could not go there.
A Taliban commander told the Global Witness in case of anonymity that they were fighting Daesh over mines.
Officials in the ministry of mines were not immediately available to comment on the issue, but a lawmaker, Safiullah Muslim said that Daesh was extracting the mines in Nangarhar.
“In Nangarhar, people say that Daesh is extracting mines. We called minister of mines, but she had no answer to our questions,” Muslim said.
He added that other armed groups were extracting mines in Logar and Badakhshan provinces.
Afghan mines cost multi trillion dollars, according to President Ashraf Ghani, who estimated 33 per cent of the mines three trillion dollars.