The Afghan economy remains highly dependent on international aids. The underlying reason is that no substantial measures to lessen this dependency have been taken by the government over the past 12 years. Afghanistan is basically an agricultural country. Nonetheless, not only this area remains under-developed, not fulfilling domestic needs but also in certain provinces of the country, the farmers prefer growing poppy in their fields.

Afghan opium has turned into a multi-billion trade benefiting only the mafia groups, drug traffickers and ultimately the insurgents. Such groups are also involved in another kind of business that goes mostly unnoticed. They illegally extract and smuggle the mineral resources of Afghanistan causing losses of millions of dollars to Afghan economy every year.

In a gathering in Kabul on Saturday, a number of civil society activists called on the government to act against the many illegal mineral extraction operations currently active around the country. The activists claimed that although the Ministry of Mines put together a list of 1,400 individuals and groups involved in illegal mining, their cases have yet to be addressed by law enforcement. Reportedly, there are names of influential figures in the list.

Illegal extraction of mineral resources takes place at times when experts maintain and emphasize that extraction industry can serve as pillars on which a strong economy can be built. Studies have estimated the worth of Afghan minerals in several trillion dollars.

In November, the Integrity Watch Afghanistan (IWA), a corruption watchdog, uncovered a disappointing story of illegal extraction of chromites. It said that a commander of the Afghan Local Police (ALP) forces illegally run Chromites extraction operation for over a year in Khas district of Kunar province.

There have also been reports on illegal extraction of chromites in Logar province. The ore is smuggled to Gardez and on through the Jaji district of Paktia for destinations in Parachinar, Pakistan.  In July 2011, local Afghan media reports suggested that among the 100 coal mines functioning in the central province of Bamyan, the government only controls and operates six of them. Gold, rubies, and emerald extraction continues through unlicensed operators connected to powerful business and political elites in Takhar, Badakhshan, Nuristan, Baghlan, and Panjshir provinces.

Illegal extraction of mineral resources and smuggling of precious stones to neighboring and other countries of the world is a business in which war lords, mafia groups and other influential people are involved. Although media and civil society organizations put efforts to draw attention of the government, it still has to act. Amidst drug trafficking, unlawful extraction and smuggling of Afghan mineral resource goes completely unnoticed. This is indeed a national tragedy at times when Afghan economy is highly fragile because of being dependent on foreign aids.