Insecurity Helps Lapis Smuggling In Badakhshan: Officials

خبر ها - افغانستان

شنبه 29 جوزا 1395 ساعت 14:46 نوشته شده توسط Nemat Ahmadi

Translations pending.

Local officials in Badakhshan on Saturday said that insecurity has mounted the smuggling of lapis lazuli and illegal extraction of the semi-precious stone in the province.

The officials said they only way to prevent the illegal business is to boost security in Badakhshan.

According to local officials, there are 50 lapis lazuli mines in Kiran Manjan district in Badakhshan, where over 10,000 kilograms of the semi-precious stone is illegally extracted by armed men and then smuggled to Panjshir province in central Afghanistan.

"The armed men that smuggle and extract lapis are supported from within and from outside govement. They smuggle thousands kilograms of lapis lazuli to Panjshir on a daily basis and then they transfer it to Pakistan," said Bashir Samim, chairman of Badakhshan provincial council.

Badakhshan deputy goveor Gul Mohammad Bedar meanwhile said powerful figures use insecurity as a tool to improve their illegal business and that this will not be stopped unless security is strengthened in the province.

"Illegal extraction of lapis lazuli will not be prevented as long as govement launches clearance operation to eliminate terrorists in the province. Govement has a plan to carry out a military operation for this purpose in the near future," Bedar added.

According to reports, the illegal extraction and smuggling of lapis lazuli has tued into a good financial source for the Taliban, as they support their war through this illegal business.

"The central govement and local officials in Badakhshan have not taken any step to ensure security and stop illegal mining in the province. If this situation continues, Taliban will take control of Badakhshan, using the money they collect from lapis smuggling," said political analyst Basir Haqjo.

This comes after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree last year where he banned the illegal extraction of lapis in Badakhshan.