SHIWA MINE, Afghanistan — Gold extraction has spread across Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, where dozens of excavators now operate continuously in areas once used by villagers and their livestock. The operations, concentrated in the Shiwa area, sit about 50 kilometers northeast of the provincial capital Faizabad.
Thousands of miners work across the Shiwa region, extracting gold for investors nationwide. Abdul Mateen Rahimzai, head of Badakhshan's mines department, said his office has registered nearly 650 to 700 companies, with thousands more individuals working manually in the sector.
The Taliban authorities have expanded mining since returning to power five years ago, seeking to use Afghanistan's extensive underground resources to raise state revenue. The World Bank reported in May that hundreds of mining contracts have been signed since 2021, with the sector growing at an annual rate averaging 25 to 30 percent.
Some residents who initially profited from the gold rush now express regret over its consequences. Muhammad Amin, a 74-year-old farmer from Pul-e-Ziri Ban valley, described the impact on his community.
Amin said the river that once flowed deep with clean water is now undrinkable and cannot be used even for washing. The grass along the riverbank has disappeared, and farming is no longer possible due to increased wind and dust.
Amin now feeds only 15 goats, down from 40. He agreed to lease his land to a mining firm for $20,000 but received only half the payment, with the company failing to restore his fields after operations ceased.
Despite the environmental damage, the mining areas have drawn workers from across Afghanistan due to widespread job scarcity. Mohammad Agha Khwaja Khail, a 21-year-old from Kabul, has worked in mining for five years, earning 10,000 Afghanis ($150) each month loading trucks.
Khwaja Khail said mining offers better opportunities than other options given the scarcity of jobs in Kabul. Shafiullah Ehsas, a 32-year-old father of five, moved his excavator hundreds of kilometers from Jalalabad three months ago.
Ehsas said gold mining had not started in Jalalabad, leaving him no alternative but to bring his machinery to Badakhshan. He earns 25,000 Afghanis per month through his work in the province.
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has sought to regulate the industry. Hamayoun Afghan, a spokesman for the ministry, said resources were previously extracted erratically and without supervision under the former government.
Gold mining has also increased in neighboring Takhar province, where an Afghan company operates with Chinese partners. Fabrizio Foschini, a researcher at the Afghanistan Analysts Network, said that during earlier decades of war, mining primarily benefited insurgent groups.
