Al-Qaeda extorts miners and farmers as influence, funding dries up

KABUL – Al-Qaeda has been targeting impoverished farmers and lucrative mining operations to fund its terrorist activities in Afghanistan as dwindling support chokes off its traditional revenue streams, experts say.

The extremist group's fighters have been collecting money in areas of the country where al-Qaeda still wields influence under the guise of ushr (Islamic tax) and zakat (charitable giving), often at gunpoint.

In northern Afghanistan, al-Qaeda has shifted its focus to mining operations.

Over a two year-period, the group made $195 million from gold mines in the northern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar, according to a March 2024 Foreign Policy report.

"Local miners operate these gold and emerald mines in Badakhshan via legal agreements with the government," said Badakhshan civil activist Nazim Ahmadi. "Yet armed men show up weekly to demand illegal 'taxes' from the miners."

"There's no justification for these extortion payments," he told Salaam Times.

The situation has grown particularly violent in Takhar province.

"Hundreds of Takhar residents are working in gold mines, and armed individuals collect money from them monthly under the guise of taxes or zakat," Takhar-based civil society activist Nematullah Farahmand said.

"This collection is forced, and if anyone refuses to pay, they are severely beaten by these gunmen," he added.

Some of the extortionists reportedly speak foreign languages.

"They are not part of the current government's security forces but members of al-Qaeda who also have residences in some areas of Takhar province," Farahmand said.

Extortion schemes

"Al-Qaeda employs local individuals to extort money from people under the names of ushr and zakat," Kabul-based Hashmat Ahmadi told Salaam Times.

"These individuals, using the threat of weapons, forcibly collect agricultural products and cash from the people," he said.

Ahmadi noted that "al-Qaeda's influence has severely declined."

"The network has lost credibility among its traditional base in Arab countries and other communities," he said. "As a result, many financial backers have withdrawn their support, cutting off crucial funding streams."

The extortion campaign is deepening Afghanistan's economic crisis, Herat-based political analyst Abdul Qadeer Fakuri told Salaam Times.

"Al-Qaeda is extorting money from society's most vulnerable members under the guise of ushr, zakat and mining fees," he said.

"These farmers and miners work tirelessly to feed their families, only to have a portion of their earnings forcibly taken to fund terrorism."

Al-Qaeda uses the money it collects via deceptive means to purchase weapons and ammunition and support terrorist activities and regional instability, Fakuri said, noting that these actions violate both human and Islamic values.