On August 15, 2021, the Taliban marched into Kabul and took control of Afghanistan. President Ashraf Ghani fled, and the world watched helplessly as more than 100,000 people were airlifted between August 14 and August 31 — a deadline agreed upon by the Taliban.

The story of those unable or unwilling to leave their homeland is harrowing. Of the millions remaining in Afghanistan, the International Rescue Committee has estimated that some 300,000 face the risk of persecution by the Taliban. Abdul Abid is among those under threat. As an ex-soldier, Abid’s profession disappeared overnight when the Taliban took over. Yet, there is little to no media coverage of plights such as his.

International anxieties and media outlets have justifiably channeled their efforts towards the implications of Taliban rule for women and girls. For example, Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of the U.K., spoke out against the Taliban’s treatment of women in Afghanistan, declaring a “crime against humanity” was taking place.

A rough timeline of events:

• March 23, 2022 — The Taliban reversed their promise to allow the education of girls beyond the sixth grade, forcing all who turn up for classes to return home.
• December 21, 2022 — The Taliban forbids women from attending university. Education up to the age of 11 becomes the best a woman in Afghanistan can hope for.
• March 9, 2023 — the U.N. declares Afghanistan the most repressive country in the world for women and girls, undoing twenty years of gender progress in the region.

World leaders have thus far watched a return to orthodoxy unfold, no doubt keenly aware that past interventions inflamed hostilities in the region. However, the world remains ill-informed of the cataclysm of unemployment that struck Afghanistan on August 15, 2021.

Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, promised full amnesty for the newly unemployed (who had worked for the former Western-backed government) in his first news conference. Despite fears that this was a superficial amnesty on Mujahid’s part, there remains hope to be taken from the narrative for those defiantly finding a way to live through the conflict.

Abid’s Story

Abid’s safety was compromised the moment the Taliban took over Afghanistan. Having been a soldier in the U.S.-backed republic government’s intelligence agency, Abid and thousands of other soldiers were hesitant to trust the Taliban’s promise of amnesty. “No one knew what was going to happen to us,” he explained. Thus far, Abid’s life has not been threatened. However, with a family of 16 to feed, it became clear that poverty, not state terror, would be his downfall. And so, in early 2022, Abid and his fellow miners leased a plot of land and began mining for gemstones.

Al Jazeera investigated the gem mines of Nuristan in August 2023. They found that, despite harsh and unpredictable working conditions, the risk was worth the reward for miners. Abid, for example, was pictured covering his mouth and nose with a green shawl before disappearing into the dust. His motivation was “a payday glimmering in the rubble” — one which he was eager to find.

A Pathway Out of Poverty?

The drawbacks of mining for gemstones are clear. For one, Abid’s income varies drastically from one month to the next. Mining is a profession defined by luck, unlike soldiering, which offers financial stability. Second, a percentage of mining profits are demanded as tax by the Taliban. Artisanal mining was banned by the U.S.-backed government due to profits falling into Taliban hands, effectively fuelling the arsenal which would be their downfall. Once reinstated, the Taliban “spread the word that people were free to mine,” an offer conditional upon 2% of profits being surrendered to the Taliban. So there is the issue of instability and the dilemma of supplying the Taliban with cash flow.

However, the unforgiving cloud hanging over Abid’s head, threatening to strike, is poverty. The World Bank reported in June 2023 that the average unskilled laborer in Afghanistan earned approximately $25 per week. In a good week, Abid makes five times this amount. Artisanal mining is by no means perfect, but the gem mines of Nuristan have been a way out for these men who, overnight, found themselves with little to no cards left to play.

Looking Forward

As of April 10, 2023, Afghanistan was the U.N.’s lowest-funded humanitarian operation. This international commitment, or indeed lack of it, disregards that Afghanistan remains the biggest humanitarian crisis facing the modern world. This hands-tied attitude has given Afghans little hope: “Only God knows what the future will bring,” said Abid.

While these men have found a momentary armistice in the gem mines of Nuristan, it remains a dark and uncertain time to be a citizen on Afghan soil.

– Imogen Townsend
Photo: Flickr