Kandahar Police foil precious stone smuggling attempt to Pakistan

Spin Boldak (Agenices): Hafiz Saber, the spokesman of the Kandahar Police Command, announced on Monday that security forces had prevented the smuggling of 200 kilograms of precious stones from Spin Boldak district in Kandahar province to Pakistan.
The valuable stones were embedded in a large truck, and its driver was arrested by the security forces. The Kandahar Police did not disclose the identity of the driver or provide further details about the smuggled precious stones. The illegal trade of precious stones has been a serious problem in Afghanistan for years. Despite the presence of government security forces, smugglers continue to transport precious stones to neighboring countries, where they fetch high prices in the international market. In addition, illegal mining and smuggling of precious stones often finance the activities of armed groups in the country, which further destabilizes the security situation.
The Afghan government and international organizations have taken several measures to prevent the smuggling of precious stones and illegal mining in the country. The government has established various regulatory bodies to monitor and control mining activities, and it has also imposed restrictions on the export of precious stones.
However, these measures have not been entirely successful in stopping the illegal trade. There are several reasons for this, including the lack of capacity and resources of regulatory bodies, corruption among government officials, and the ongoing conflict and insecurity in the country.
In recent years, the Taliban has also been involved in the illegal mining and smuggling of precious stones, which has been a major source of their funding. Since taking control of the country in August 2021, the Taliban has promised to crack down on illegal mining and smuggling and to regulate the mining industry in the country. The smuggling of precious stones is a major problem in Afghanistan, and it continues to undermine the country’s economy and security.
While the Afghan government and international organizations have taken measures to address the issue, much more needs to be done to effectively control illegal mining and smuggling of precious stones.
The new Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has an opportunity to address this issue and to regulate the mining industry in the country. However, this will require the cooperation of regulatory bodies, government officials, and the Taliban, and it remains to be seen whether they can effectively work together to tackle this problem.