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The smuggling of minerals continues to supply millions of dollars to armed groups in Afghanistan, said an anti-corruption group this week.

The Afghanistan Anti-Corruption Network said in a report that militant groups received at least $46 million by illegally exporting minerals and precious stones to Pakistan.

The report said up to 750,000 tons of marble and talc were smuggled from various parts of Nangarhar province. Some areas of this province have active Taliban and Islamic State fighters.

Marble is a kind of stone that is often polished and used in buildings and statues. Talc is used in the manufacturing of products, including plastics, paints and cosmetics.

Zaman Khan Amarkhail is the President of the Anti-Corruption Network. He told Radio Liberty's Afghanistan service that every day, 500 trucks carrying stones pass through government-controlled roads and arrive in Pakistan. Each truck, he added, carries about 45 tons of stone.

From there, he says, the stones are sent to European countries.

The Afghan mines ministry says the government has banned mineral exports to Pakistan. It says it has also encouraged local businesses to invest in the sector and legally export processed material to foreign countries.

Smugglers thrive

Pakistan is not the only destination for smuggled minerals.

The anti-corruption network says precious stones are being illegally mined from at least 2,000 mines in Afghanistan's northeast. These stones travel across Afghanistan's border with China.

Zabiullah Wardak, a member of the anti-corruption group, said that

"Last year, $300 million worth of precious stones were smuggled from the province [Badakhshan] to China."

The Afghan government says fighting between Afghan forces and militant groups has led to an increase in illegal mining. Experts say the mineral smuggling occurs through a strong network of militants, criminal groups, and some civil servants and military officials.

Haroon Rashid Sherzad is a civil society activist and former deputy minister of anti-narcotics. He told VOA that mineral smuggling is "a huge business for the involved parties who are thriving under weak government surveillance."

Conflict and development

Afghanistan has a long history of smuggling. In the early 1970s, as much as 20 to 25 percent of Afghanistan's foreign trade came from smuggling. This information comes from a paper written by Jagdish Bhagwati and Bent Hansen in 1971.

A report from West Point's counterterrorism center says small-scale mining and drug-smuggling played an important role in financing conflicts throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

Despite Afghanistan's wealth in minerals, the country has had a difficult time developing significant industries in some parts of the country. A 2010 report in the New York Times says Afghanistan may have over $1 trillion dollars' worth of mineral reserves.

"The ongoing insurgency and instability in the province [Nangarhar] has not allowed businesses to establish factories," an official at the ministry of mines told VOA. The official did not want to be identified.

Experts say that continued smuggling and border corruption are not only fueling conflict, but costing Afghanistan millions of dollars.

Customs revenue collections have increased in the past year, says the country's finance ministry. However, the country still loses large amounts of tax revenues due to smuggling.

"Surveillance is weak at the borders. An individual with a license to export 100 tons of stones would be able to export 1,000 tons instead," Sherzad, the civil society activist, said. "Corrupt officials turn a blind eye to illegal exports and, in return, they too benefit from it."

I'm John Russell.

John Russell wrote this story for Learning English based on reporting by VOA's Noor Zahid. Hai Do was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

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smuggle v. to move (someone or something) from one country into another illegally and secretly

precious adj. rare and worth a lot of money

cosmetic n. a substance (such as a cream, lotion, or powder) that you put on your face or body to improve your appearance

thrive v. to flourish or succeed

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Militant Groups in Afghanistan Make Money Smuggling Minerals - Voice of America

A woman and her children carry containers of water on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday. Avalanches have killed more than 100 people in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Rahmat Gul/AP hide caption

A woman and her children carry containers of water on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday. Avalanches have killed more than 100 people in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Afghan officials say more than 100 people died in avalanches over the weekend, after nearly 10 feet of snow buried some parts of the country around Kabul and east to the Pakistan border.

Dozens of houses were destroyed and "people were reported to have frozen to death, trapped in cars," according to the BBC.

Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul was closed on Sunday, after nearly 2 feet of snow covered the runways, according to Afghanistan's TOLO News, and north of the capital, the Salang pass into the Hindu Kush mountains was reportedly buried under 7 feet of snow.

At least one helicopter was shuttling supplies and people to the province of Nuristan, on the border with Pakistan northeast of Kabul, where provincial Gov. Hafiz Abdul Qayyom told Agence France-Presse that at least 64 people were killed. Most of the deaths occurred in one devastated village, he said.

"Most affected are women and children," he told Al Jazeera on Sunday. "The area is completely blocked because of snow so it is very difficult for us to send support, but we are trying our best."

CNN reported that people also died in an avalanche on the other side of the border, in Pakistan. The BBC said at least 13 people there died, nine of them in the town of Chitral.

Al Jazeera reported that parts of the mountainous region received more than 5 feet of snow over the weekend, and that "scattered snowfall" was forecast for Monday in the Chitral valley.

The AFP reported that some hard-hit areas in Afghanistan were still not accessible on Monday:

"There had been no word yet from some villages in Nuristan, which Qayyom said had received nearly [10 feet] of snow, with blocked roads and mountainous terrain hampering the rescue effort.

" 'We will evacuate wounded victims to the city of Jalalabad for treatment,' [Qayyom] said, adding that skies were clear on Monday."

Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province, also on the Pakistan border. The U.S. says most Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan are located in Nangarhar, and that it has been attacking the region with drones, as The Two-Way has reported.

NATO has more than 13,000 international troops on the ground in Afghanistan as part of a so-called train, advise and assist mission to the country. The mission, named Resolute Support, did not announce any plans to assist directly in the rescue or cleanup effort following the avalanches, but did share a photo on Twitter of soldiers playing in the snow at Bagram Airfield.

Read more here:
More Than 100 People Killed In Afghanistan Avalanches - NPR

KABUL, Afghanistan More than 900 children were killed in Afghanistans conflict last year, the United Nations said Monday, calling it the most violent year for children since it started keeping records.

The U.N. mission said the nearly 25 percent increase in child deaths from the previous year was largely caused by mines and munitions left over from decades of conflict. It documented a 66 percent increase in such deaths in 2016.

Conflict-related violence exacted a heavy toll on Afghanistan in 2016, with an overall deterioration in civilian protection and the highest-total civilian casualties recorded since 2009, when UNAMA began systematic documentation of civilian casualties, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in its annual report.

It said 3,498 people were killed in 2016, including 923 children, and that another 7,920 people were wounded. The overall casualty toll was slightly higher than the previous year.

I am deeply saddened to report, for yet another year, another increase in civilian casualties, another all-time high figure, Tadamichi Yamamoto, the U.N. envoy to Afghanistan, told a press conference.

The aid group Save the Children said the latest figures were extremely concerning, and called on all parties to do more to protect civilians.

The Taliban, who have been waging an insurgency against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul for more than 15 years, advanced on a number of fronts in 2016. Afghan forces have struggled to combat the militants since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014.

The humanitarian situation across much of Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly in the past 12 months, Save the Childrens country director, Ana Locsin, said in a statement.

With the start of the traditional fighting season not far away with the end of winter, it could get even worse in the coming months, she said.

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More than 900 children killed in Afghanistan in 2016, according to United Nations - The Denver Post

STRATFOR

Afghanistan: President Seeks Peace With a Militant Commander STRATFOR The war in Afghanistan grinds on, but President Ashraf Ghani has made progress on a significant peace deal. On Feb. 3, the U.N. Security Council fulfilled Ghani's request to lift an asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo on Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ... The Threat America Is Neglecting in AfghanistanThe National Interest Online What does the return of warlord Hekmatyar mean for Afghanistan?Deutsche Welle UN lifts sanctions against Gulbuddin HekmatyarAljazeera.com all 94 news articles »

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Afghanistan: President Seeks Peace With a Militant Commander - STRATFOR

Conservative traditions are holding back progress in Afghanistans southeastern provinceof Zabul, according to speakers at an IWPR-organised debate.

The event, held in the provincial capital of Qalat city on January 23, 2017, heard that human rights and gender equality were particularly affected by such practices.

Tribal leader Abdul Wali Wali said, Many time-worn cultural traditions are common in Zabul province; for example, the payment of high dowries, child marriages, not taking women in labour to hospital to give birth and other similar problems.

Due to the old, unpleasant traditions, people in Zabul face poverty and other difficulties, he continued. Adhering to these customs mean that people dont obey and respect the laws of the country, and instead do whatever they want.

Mohammad Hakim, head of legal affairs at Zabul police headquarters, said a lack of education was mostly to blame.

Due to the high rate of illiteracy, old and detested traditions still dominate and serve to distract government attention. The state is busy solving these individual issues rather than working on the wider problems people face.

The effect on gender rights was particularly grievous, he added.

Many women are deprived of education in Zabul province, so they fall victim to these abhorrent customs, Hakim continued.

Local activist Zarmina Pathan agreed, adding, The main reason behind the illiteracy and poverty of Zabul people are these long-standing, horrible traditions.

Social development was nearly impossible under these conditions, she continued.

Due to a lack of education and public awareness, these traditions still dictate life in Zabul province. That means women are stuck at home and have to remain there.

She added, It doesnt mean that a woman is immoral if she leaves her house. It means that she is lifting herself out of poverty by finding work and earning money to support her children.

As for child marriage, domestic abuse and other rights violations, Pathan continued, Violence against women is unacceptable. Islam and our rich culture do not permit us to use violent against others, especially against women.

Mohammad Naeem Storai, broadcasting manager of Zabul Melli Radio TV, said that local people needed to take responsibility for driving change themselves.

When we complain about the activities of our government, we should also look at our own actions; to what extent are we obeying and respecting the law of the land, and what are we doing to benefit our country? We are living in a land where no one respects regulations and our people think they are above the law, and this causes more and more problems.

Storai added, If Afghans start respecting each others rights, then it will be easy to eradicate old traditions and it will prepare the ground for starting afresh.

This report was produced under IWPRs Promoting Human Rights and Good Governance in Afghanistan initiative, funded by the European Union Delegation to Afghanistan.

Originally posted here:
Afghanistan: Conservative Traditions Limiting Progress - Institute for War and Peace Reporting