3 Protesters Killed in Mining Protest in Afghanistan’s Takhar Province, Interior Ministry Says

Three protesters were killed during clashes over gold mining in Afghanistan’s Takhar province, the Interior Ministry said, after residents opposed extraction activities harming local resources.

The Taliban Interior Ministry confirmed that three protesters were killed during clashes over gold mining operations in Chah Ab district of Afghanistan’s Takhar province.

Spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said residents confronted officials of a gold-processing company, leaving three locals and one company employee dead, while five others were wounded.

Qani said one security guard employed by the mining company and one local resident were arrested on murder charges following the violence in the district.

Authorities have suspended the company’s operations and launched an investigation, though the Interior Ministry did not comment on any direct Taliban involvement in suppressing the protest.

Local residents had protested what they described as uncontrolled gold mining and damage to water resources, with some demonstrators reportedly setting company property on fire.

The Taliban have increasingly expanded mining activities across Afghanistan, particularly gold extraction in Takhar and Badakhshan, as a key source of revenue.

Similar protests were violently suppressed in Badakhshan last summer, when residents demonstrated against poppy crop destruction, leaving at least ten protesters dead, according to the United Nations.

The incident highlights growing public anger over resource exploitation and environmental damage, as communities say they are excluded from decision-making and economic benefits.

Analysts warn that continued reliance on mining revenues without local consent could deepen tensions and trigger further unrest in Afghanistan’s resource-rich regions.

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