Chinese company and Taliban battle over Afghanistan’s underground riches

The wind sweeps over the barren hillsides of Logar province just 25 miles southeast of Kabul, blowing dust over unearthed sections of the ruins of Mes Aynak. A young archaeologist takes a break to show off a latest find at the precious historical site, in a rugged area the size of Pompeii.

“Mes Aynak is the most important discovery in my career,” said Qadir Temori, head preservation archaeologist at Mes Aynak. “We have worked so hard to protect this ancient site, even risking our lives to save it.”

That is not easy in a country that has spent decades riled by conflict. As well as the huge human and economic costs, there has been cultural loss too — most infamously in the 2001 destruction by Taliban authorities of two giant sculptures of the Buddha at Bamiyan.

The project goes to the heart of a debate about one of the great contrasts of Afghanistan: that a country of immense riches is so dogged by poverty. Five years ago, U.S. government officials revealed numbers suggesting that war-ravaged Afghanistan was sitting on some $1 trillion in mineral wealth. Other studies point to figures as high as $3 trillion.

Massive quantities of copper, iron and gold sit in the earth under Afghanistan. But developing those resources is beset with problems such as the Taliban insurgency, rampant corruption, an underdeveloped private sector, infrastructure woes and environmental concerns.

All of these problems, and more, are present at Mes Aynak, where angry locals also resent forced displacement of six villages.

“Most of the residents have been either forced out, have left, or they’re not allowed to return,” said Javed Noorani of Integrity Watch Afghanistan, a watchdog group that advocates for increased transparency. “They are losing everything, they will have to be compensated, discuss things properly, consulted properly, and then resettled.”

Lal Agha, a local village elder whose community has been relocated by the project, said, “We are all helpless. We don’t have a way to fight for our human rights.”

Agha also draws the connection between locals’ grievances with their own government over displacement and general security woes that plague local police and the Chinese mining effort. “The government is responsible for creating [the security problems] by grabbing people’s lands, beating them up, and humiliating and disrespecting their values,” Agha said. “It’s when people fight back, the government calls them ‘Al-Qaeda.’

“If the people are happy with the Chinese [mining company], then why are missiles being fired into Mes Aynak? People are angry,” he added.

The escalating level of violence is hampering the project. The mine is located on a transit route for Taliban fighters coming from Pakistan, and Logar province is one of Afghanistan’s most dangerous regions. Reports suggest many Chinese laborers have repeatedly abandoned the site. But it's clear the mine requires basic fortification to proceed.

“The government ordered that we receive 1,500 soldiers for the security of Mes Aynak,” said Sayed Abbas Sadat, a commander of the regional police division, who oversees a series of checkpoints and an aggressive strategy of monitoring the property’s perimeter.

But, despite the reality of the violence, it is the campaign by archaeologists to stop the development that has captured the most international attention.

“Preserving Mes Aynak is an important gesture for Afghanistan. It’s an important gesture for all archaeologists in the world concerned with preserving human culture,“ said Mark Kenoyer, a physical anthropologist from the University of Wisconsin working on site. “The destruction of Mes Aynak itself would be like Atlantis going into the ocean and disappearing from history.”

For its part, the United Nations' global cultural body UNESCO is standing on the sidelines.

“The deadline for the start of the mining operations has been postponed a number of times,” said press officer Roni Amelan, who confirmed that the organization is not directly involved in current preservation efforts.

Meanwhile, as the debate rages over development, security and heritage, local villagers just hope to hold onto their rights.

“I always pray for my family, my children, for their health and safety,” Temori, the lead archaeologist, said. “And now I also pray for Mes Aynak, and for the future of my country.”