What Are The Sources Of Income For The Taliban || Who Have Been Fighting Against The US For Two Decades?

Taliban Advance In Afghanistan And US Withdrawal: What Are The Sources Of Income For The Taliban Who Have Been Fighting Against The US For Two Decades?

While US-led NATO forces have begun a full withdrawal from Afghanistan after two decades of fighting, the Taliban, which has already occupied several parts of Afghanistan, is now rapidly gaining control of other parts of the country.

In the past few weeks, the Taliban have stepped up attacks in Afghanistan's southern and eastern provinces, and so far the capitals of 20 of the country's 34 provinces are in full control.

During this new wave of attacks, the Taliban have also seized a key valley west of Kabul, increasing the threat to the federal capital, Kabul.

There are about 60,000 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, and since 2001, when they were ousted by the US coalition, the Taliban now control the largest area in Afghanistan.

Despite US military and financial support to the Kabul government, the war became more intense and complex. More than 200 billion has been spent on the war so far, according to figures released by the United States.

In this context, the question of what are the sources of income for the Taliban, who have long been fighting the trillions of dollars of superpower US and NATO forces in a vast and developing country like Afghanistan?

How rich is the Taliban?

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and strictly enforced Sharia law there. He has long led a nationwide uprising since stepping down.

The source of their funding, however, can only be guessed at because the militant groups operating undercover do not disclose the details of their income and expenditure. However, the BBC's interviews inside and outside Afghanistan give an idea of ​​its complex financial network and the tax system through which it continues its insurgency.

According to a report published by the Security Council in 2020, the total annual income of the Taliban ranges from 30 300 million to 1.5 1.5 billion, according to estimates by its members and other countries.

Officials reported a drop in the Taliban's revenue in 2019, but said the Taliban were using their resources carefully and efficiently and were not facing a crisis at the moment.

One of the reasons for the decline in income is the decline in poppy cultivation and its income, but at the same time there has been a decrease in funding for aid and development projects and an increase in management projects.

According to the report, the Taliban have increased toll taxes on roads to increase their income, which is due to the increase in their power in the northern part of the country. Money is also collected from the public in the form of Zakat and Ushr, especially in Taliban-controlled urban areas.

Over the past two decades, the Afghan and US governments have sought to curb these networks. The U.S. military has also bombed drug factories, but to no avail.

However, the Taliban's source of income is in addition to the drug trade. In 2012, the United Nations warned against the popular notion that the poppy economy in Afghanistan was the Taliban's main source of income.

Opium, Taxes And Extortion:

Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium. It is a major opium trade worth 1.5 billion to 3 billion a year and is the world's largest illicit heroin smuggler.

Poppy is also grown in Afghan government-controlled areas, but most poppy is grown in Taliban-controlled areas and is considered a major source of income.

The Taliban derive their money from taxes levied at various stages.

Ten percent tax is levied on farmers for poppy cultivation. Taxes are also levied on laboratories where heroin is made from opium and taxes are also levied on traffickers who smuggle illegal drugs.

The Taliban's annual share in the illicit drug economy is estimated at 100 million to 400 million.

Occupying areas of the country's Nangarhar province where poppy cultivation is high, according to a 2020 Security Council report, especially at a time when Afghan forces are in control of material mines in Badakhshan Province. Overall, the Taliban have imposed taxes on agriculture, infrastructure, essential commodities and a number of industries in the provinces under their control.

The Taliban have been extorting money from telephone service providers and electricity providers over the past year.

The Drug Industry:

As part of the Trump administration's more aggressive approach to the US counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan, the United States has once again focused on targeting the Taliban's financial network and tax sources, including drug labs. In which heroin is made from opium.

The U.S. military says more than 60 percent of the Taliban's income comes from drugs.

At the time, the United States claimed that the air campaign had cut off one-third of the Taliban's revenue from the opium trade, but that rebuilding the laboratories was easy and cost-effective.

The Taliban have denied any involvement in the drug industry and are proud of their complete ban on poppy cultivation in 2000.

In addition, while the Taliban's main source of income has long been the cultivation and production of heroin, the production of ice or crystal meth has emerged as a new drug industry in Afghanistan.

Crystal meth is considered more profitable than heroin because the ingredients used in its production are slightly cheaper and do not require large laboratories.

According to the Security Council, 60 percent of the Taliban's crystal meth laboratories are controlled, most of them in Farah and Nimroz provinces.

The most important ingredient in its production is ephedrine, which was previously imported, but is now grown in Afghanistan. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, smuggling of crystal meth is also on the rise.

What Are The Sources Of Income Apart From Drugs And Taxes?

The Taliban's financial network extends beyond the collection of taxes on drug trafficking.

The BBC's investigative report, published in early 2018, found that the Taliban were active in 70% of Afghanistan and had a presence there.

In these areas, the Taliban have tried to maintain the existing tax system during their rule.

They also derive their revenue from other industries such as telecommunications and mobile phone operators.

The head of Afghanistan's power company told the BBC that the Taliban receive more than 20 2m a year from electricity consumers in different parts of the country.

In addition, direct warfare also generates revenue. Every time the Taliban seize a military post or a city center, they empty the coffers and seize cars and armored vehicles with various weapons.

Mines And Minerals:

Afghanistan is rich in minerals and precious stones and has not benefited much from years of war. The mining industry in Afghanistan is said to be worth 1 billion.

Keep in mind that most mining is small-scale and illegal.

Taliban-controlled areas where legal and illegal mining take place are also subject to extortion by the Taliban.

The Taliban received more than 10 million from 25 to 30 illegal mining operators in southern Helmand Province, according to a 2014 report by the UN's Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team.

A cursory review of the Taliban's operations in eastern Nangarhar Province sheds light on how they operate. The governor of the province told the BBC that half of the revenue from his province went either to the Taliban or to the Islamic State.

He estimated that the Taliban charge up to 500 500 per truck coming out of the mineral-rich province, while hundreds of such trucks leave the province daily.

According to the 2020 Security Council report, during the inspection team's visit to Helmand province, they also received information that mining of marble, gold, aerogeneite, copper, tin, zinc and other rare earths was also a source of income for the Taliban. Has been made a source of which is regularly taxed.

According to the report, gold mining in Raghistan district earns 200,000 a month. There are more than 100 excavators in the area, from which the Taliban individually earn 400 300 to ہ 400 a week.

According to the Taliban, local businessmen and government officials we spoke to, the Taliban earn more than 50 million a year from mining across the country.

Foreign Funding:

Many Afghan and US officials have long accused various regional governments, including Iran, Russia and Pakistan, of financing the Afghan Taliban. However, these countries have consistently denied it.

Citizens of several Gulf countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, are among the individual Taliban financiers.

Although difficult to estimate, these sources of funding also add significant amounts to the Taliban's reserves, and experts and officials say they could be as high as 500 million a year.

These are long-standing links. A classified report by the CIA in 2008 estimated that the Taliban had received 1.5 billion in foreign aid this year, most of it from the Gulf.

The article was published on the BBC's Pages in 2018, but further details have been added with the help of the current situation and the Security Council's 2020 report.