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Private companies start extracting marble at newly regulated Baghlan mine
Two private companies have started extracting marble from a mine in Baghlan province that was mined illegally in the past, officials confirmed.
The companies have a five-year contract to mine marble for 900 afghanis per ton, ministry of mines and petroleum officials said.
The marble mine is located in Khowaja Zayed Valley, Doshi District, in Baghlan province, and has a history of having been mined illegally.
However, operations have now been regulated and according to a Baghlan mining directorate official, Adel: “With small-scale companies, each of them has a contract for five years, and these companies start their work according to the plan and contract that was concluded.”
The governor of Baghlan said in turn that revenue generated from mines in the province will go towards infrastructure projects such as building and repairing roads, bridges and culverts.
“We assure the people that the work will be done in a safe and proper manner in this mine and we assure the people that public services will be provided to them,” said Mawlawi Abdul Rahman Haqqani, governor of Baghlan province.
“Our request is that the damaged condition of our roads and culverts should be addressed because it is a necessity,” said Mohammad Yousuf, the district governor of Doshi district of Baghlan.
According to officials from the two companies, the marble they mine will be sold locally and exported.
“The materials that are extracted, we are trying to cover domestic needs first, and in the next step, we will have talks with countries like Turkey, Uzbekistan, and China, with whom we will sign contracts for business,” said Mohammad Nabi, the manager of one contracting company.
Hundreds of former U.S. officials are calling on Washington to cancel a reported plan to relocate Afghan refugees from Qatar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In an open letter addressed to the U.S. State Department, more than 600 former civilian and military officials, along with around 100 organizations, urged the administration to stop the proposed transfer. The letter was sent to Marco Rubio.
The signatories argue that the Afghan nationals in question were brought to Qatar by the United States to complete legal immigration procedures after undergoing extensive security vetting. The letter states that while the individuals were cleared for resettlement in the United States, they are now being considered for relocation to Congo, a country for which they were never screened.
“Those individuals were vetted and approved for the United States, not for the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the letter reads.
According to the report, more than 1,100 Afghan allies and their family members are currently being held at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar under U.S. supervision. Around 800 of them have already completed all security checks and received authorization to travel to the United States. More than half are women and children, and many have remained in transit limbo for over 15 months.
The situation has drawn criticism from former officials and policy observers, who describe the proposed relocation as a betrayal of Afghan allies who supported U.S. missions and risked their lives during the war in Afghanistan. Critics also warn that the move could damage U.S. credibility with future partners.
Several members of the U.S. Congress had previously expressed opposition to the proposal, cautioning that it could significantly undermine trust in the United States among its allies.
Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special envoy for Afghanistan, has said that no country should interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, stressing that it is up to Afghans themselves to bring about any change in their country.
In a post on X, Durrani said Afghans should be “left to their own devices” and that they would eventually “find the way out” of their challenges.
However, he warned that instability inside Afghanistan could have negative consequences for neighbouring countries, adding that Afghan leaders and their supporters should take responsibility to address such risks.
Durrani described his remarks as a simple expression of goodwill and best wishes for the Afghan people and their future.
Latest News
Uzbekistan and Japan discuss joint projects for Afghanistan’s socio-economic development
The Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, has met with Tetsuya Yamada, Director General of the South Asia Department at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to discuss cooperation on Afghanistan-related development projects.
According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides focused on the implementation of joint initiatives aimed at supporting the socio-economic development of Afghanistan.
During the meeting, the Japanese side praised Uzbekistan’s “pragmatic approach” toward Afghanistan, as well as the infrastructure developed in the border city of Termez.
Japan also expressed interest in utilizing the Termez facilities for future humanitarian and development projects in Afghanistan, particularly in the fields of education, healthcare, agriculture, private sector development, and counter-narcotics efforts.
Both sides emphasized that such cooperation is aimed at improving the living conditions and overall well-being of the Afghan people.
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