The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Five workers were killed when a mine collapsed in the Shah Mastan Valley of Chah Ab district in northern Takhar province, a local Taliban official said.
According to TOLOnews, Naqibullah Masroor, head of media and public relations at
the Takhar police command, said further details about the incident would be
released later.
Mine collapses and other mining accidents have repeatedly
claimed lives in Afghanistan, where some mining operations use rudimentary
methods and lack adequate safety measures. A 2025 report by the Afghanistan
Analysts Network documented concerns about unsafe working conditions and
limited accountability for deaths at privately operated mines.
Mining has also become an important source of revenue for
the Taliban administration since it returned to power in 2021. The Taliban-run
Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has reported income from mineral extraction and
oil sales, while the authorities have awarded numerous mining contracts to
domestic and foreign companies.
However, concerns remain about transparency in the sector.
Researchers and economic analysts have questioned the public availability of
detailed information on mining contracts, actual production and how revenues
are spent. The Taliban administration operates a mining transparency portal,
but access to information and the completeness of public reporting remain
subjects of scrutiny.
The cause of the latest collapse and whether authorities
have opened an investigation were not immediately known.
