The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Emeralds worth more than 11.6 million Afghanis have been sold from mines in Panjshir, a Taliban official said.
Saifuddin Laton, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in the province, said that 3,158 carats of emeralds were sold for 11,669,876 Afghanis through a public auction held on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.
He said the auction was organized by the Taliban’s Department of Mines and Petroleum in Panjshir, with participation from domestic traders.
Laton added that in mid-April 2026, another batch of 2,639 carats of emeralds from the province’s mines had been sold for nearly 3 million Afghanis through a similar bidding process.
The sales are part of ongoing efforts by Taliban authorities to generate revenue from Afghanistan’s natural resources.
