Mohammad Qasim Amiri, the Taliban's head of mining in Panjshir, has announced that illegal mining and smuggling of minerals and precious stones in the province have been eliminated.

He stated that the Taliban has issued more than 560 licences to miners for the "legal extraction" of Panjshir emeralds.

The Taliban's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum announced in a statement on Saturday that the distribution of mining licences in Panjshir has created employment opportunities for more than 10,000 people.

Amiri has asked that the Taliban's Ministry of Mines send a technical team to survey all mineral areas in Panjshir and issue licences for the extraction of ruby mines.

The Taliban's Minister of Mines stated that the people of Panjshir should be prioritised in the issuance of licences for rubies and emeralds, as well as in the provision of job opportunities.

Over the past two years, the Taliban has repeatedly auctioned Panjshir emeralds.

Due to the economic crisis, the group has focused on extracting Afghanistan's mines, a practice that Taliban opponents consider illegal due to the Taliban's lack of legitimacy.