Other MoA event in Badakhshan, Khastak Valley, Jurm District area, Afghanistan on Mon 9th February 2026

On February 9, armed clashes broke out between rival Taliban factions in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan Province over control of a gold mine, underscoring growing tensions within the Taliban over access to natural resources, in which one fighter aligned with the provincial governor was killed, and two local Taliban fighter were wounded in the clashes in Khastak Valley of Jurm District, reports Amu TV. Residents said the dispute centred on control and management of the Awishahr gold mine, with competition over economic resources in the area escalating into violence. Taliban authorities in Badakhshan did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The incident is the latest in a series of internal disputes within the Taliban over lucrative mining sites since the group returned to power in 2021. Afghanistan is believed to hold vast untapped mineral resources, including gold, lithium and rare earth elements, which the Taliban see as a key source of revenue amid international sanctions and frozen assets.