Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Taleban boost ties to organized crime: UN


(MENAFN- Arab News) UNITED NATIONS United States: The Taleban are increasing their dealings with narcotics traffickers illegal mining rings and kidnappers for ransom in a worrying development for Afghanistan's new leaders a UN report said Monday.

'They are increasingly acting more like 'godfathers' than a 'government in waiting'' said the report by the UN panel of experts on the Taleban.

While the Taleban's ties to drugs traffickers dates back to the 1990s the report also details the movement's involvement in controlling natural resources and thus depriving the central government of revenue.

Lapis lazuli mines in northeastern Badakhshan province are controlled by the Taleban who demand around $1 million annually from miners in exchange for being allowed to mine without fear of Taleban attacks said the report.

In addition the Taleban earn $240000 to $360000 per year in extortion from truckers who carry the stone away from the mines located in a predominantly Tajik-populated area.

The Taleban also pocket two thirds of earnings from chromite mining in southeast Paktika province and an estimated $16 million annually from ruby mining in Jagdalak east of Kabul the report said.

Hostage takings by the Taleban have increased since 2005 with ransoms paid totaling at least $16 million according to the report.

'The scale and depth of this cooperation is new and builds on decades of interaction between the Taleban and others involved in criminal behavior' said the report.

The experts argued that the Taleban's strengthened ties with organized crime would make it more difficult to foster reconciliation as the movement now has little economic incentive to make peace.

The report suggested that the Security Council could use targeted sanctions to take aim at the Taleban's criminal connections.

'This is all the more reason to intensify efforts to use the Security Council sanctions regime to expose and disrupt Taleban involvement in and links to criminal activity' said the report.

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani is struggling to form a unity government four months after he took office on a pledge to set up a new team that could fight corruption and the Taleban insurgency.

The Taleban was ousted from power in 2001 in a US-led NATO campaign but they have continued to wage attacks.


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