Three sources in Kabul and Badakhshan told Taneen that Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada verbally ordered the appointment of Ebadullah Moaz as head of the Mines Directorate in Badakhshan province.
According to the sources, Moaz replaced Abdul Matin Rahimzai on the orders of Hibatullah Akhundzada about a month ago. However, the Taliban Ministry of Mines and Petroleum only recently issued his formal appointment order.
The sources added that Moaz has been reporting to the Badakhshan Mines Directorate during this period but did not officially begin his duties until receiving the formal order from the Ministry of Mines. He has now gone to the Taliban ministry to complete the administrative procedures and obtain official approval.
The sources said the appointment of the head of the Badakhshan Mines Directorate by direct order of the Taliban leader comes amid disagreements between central Taliban officials and local commanders and networks over control of the province’s gold mines.
According to recent reports, the Taliban have changed the head of the Badakhshan Mines Directorate several times over the past year. In recent months, Hibatullah Akhundzada has also taken steps to increase control over the province’s mines, including deploying a 1,000-member special force and removing several local officials.
Previously, sources told Taneen that Abdul Matin Rahimzai, the former head of the Badakhshan Mines Directorate, was removed from his position on allegations of corruption following a verbal order from Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Under the Taliban’s administrative structure, the appointment and dismissal of senior officials in first- and second-grade positions falls under the authority of Mullah Hassan Akhund, the group’s prime minister. However, in some cases, Hibatullah Akhundzada has overridden this authority and personally made decisions on the appointment or dismissal of officials. There have also been previous reports of Hibatullah’s direct intervention in appointing officials and creating government positions.
The Taliban leader’s intervention in the appointment of the head of the Badakhshan Mines Directorate comes as the province’s gold mines have become a major source of disputes between the Taliban’s central leadership and local networks in recent months.
Reports indicate that the Taliban leadership is seeking to shift economic control of Badakhshan’s mines from local networks to the Ministry of Mines and structures aligned with Kandahar. At the same time, Taliban officials have banned unauthorized mining and deployed special forces to Badakhshan to control mining areas.
In recent months, disputes over gold extraction in Badakhshan have also escalated into armed clashes. In one of the latest incidents, fighting at the Qatqati gold mine in Shaki district left at least two people dead and several others injured.
