Clashes erupt between locals and Taliban over Takhar mining contract changes

Several local media outlets reported protests by local residents of Archa Kotal village in Kalgfan district, Takhar province, against the decision by the Taliban Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) to award a contract to mine the saltwater resource to a company referred to as Namak Kalfgan (Kalfgan Salt).

According to an article published by Etilaatroz on 7 July 2024, the local population claim that the new contract monopolises local water resources, preventing residents of the area from working and earning a livelihood. Up until the new contract, the residents were reportedly paying the Taliban a fee of AFN 2,000 (approximately GBP 22) per ton of salt for the rights for extraction and refinement. 

Etilaatroz claimed that the population had offered to pay a fee to the new company, allegedly owned by two men named Manouchehr and Golbedin, in lieu of continuing their operation. However, their proposal was reportedly rejected. The group also expressed concerns over the company's hiring practices, which reportedly favour workers from other provinces over local residents, raising concerns of substantial unemployment of the local workforce.

On 7 July 2024, local media outlet Aamaj News reported on a clash between local residents and armed Taliban fighters, as the population protested against the decision. According to the news agency, armed Taliban members arrived to protect the company’s assets and “attacked the people of the region.” As a result, Aamaj News claimed that seven local residents and four Taliban members were reportedly injured. 

On 11 July 2024, Aamaj published a video showing dozens of local residents protesting near infrastructure of the salt mining company. The footage shows at least eight Taliban members armed with rifles, half of them placed between the group and the salt pans, and the rest among the group protesting. The video did not appear to show violence between the parties, and AW was not able to verify any individuals injured as a result of the alleged clashes.

The figure below shows the geolocation of the protest in Takhar province. The incident took place just outside the Archa Kotal village, in front of the salt mining pans, as claimed by Amaaj news agency.

Expansion of contracts awarded by Taliban in the vicinity of Archa Kotal

In addition to the reported change of contract, analysis by AW indicates there has been a clear expansion of the area of mining operations in the region. The figure below shows a comparison between the area occupied by the salt mine pans on 25 September 2021 (left), and on 9 July 2024 (right). The border of the Archa Kotal village is highlighted in blue, and in white the borders of the salt mine pans, as seen on the 2021 satellite image. The white circles on the 2024 satellite image (right) indicate the new observed expansion, which appears to be focused in an area east of the village.

In addition to the verified expansion, MoMP appears to have awarded more salt mine contracts to an area north of the Archa Kotal village, where a smaller amount of salt pans were already observed in 2021. On 26 July 2023, the MoMP issued a public “Declaration of Small Scale Mining Areas,” asking interested parties to submit their applications to the Directorate General of Minerals Management. The announcement contained seven coordinates indicating an unexplored area to the north of the village, just above the small-scale operation observed on satellite imagery in 2021. Satellite imagery of the area does not yet show an expanded area of operations, as of July 2024 (left, right).

Despite a lack of visible expansion of salt mining operations to the north of the village, the Taliban de facto authorities have been observed to continue awarding contracts covering the region. In June 2024, AW published a report on Afghanistan's mining sector under the Taliban, which identified 11 salt mining contracts issued throughout the country, including eight in Takhar province. Of those, two had been awarded in the Archa Kotal village area on 2 November 2022 and 18 March 2023.

The area located to the east of the Archa Kotal village already shows a clear expansion of salt pads between September 2021 and July 2024. However, it is not clear if this growth was driven by the artisanal mining of the community or by the companies awarded the mining contracts, as it appears that the local population was heavily involved in the exploitation of the resource.

Following the change of contract which led to the protest and clashes on 7 July 2024, reports observed by AW appear to demonstrate local Taliban authorities prioritising the assets of the company over the demands of the population. AW assess that the fast expansion of the mining area surrounding the village, and lack of cooperation between the population and the new mining company, is likely to result in increasing tensions with the local community.