Investing in gold mines in Afghanistan can be profitable, but it is extremely dangerous! Previously, the Toutiao blogger "Broken Wing Cowboy" has not updated for three months. He has repeatedly mentioned the issue of gold mine disputes in Afghanistan, which is very dangerous and terrifying! As a result, "Broken Wing Cowboy" himself has gone missing. We don't know if this blogger from Shandong Province is still alive. He should at least come out to report that he is safe!
In mid-July, a serious armed conflict broke out in a gold mine in Shahrisabz District, Badakhshan Province, northeastern Afghanistan, due to disputes over mining rights.
Local sources in Afghanistan stated that the conflict caused multiple deaths, including an unknown number of Chinese citizens. The incident was a commercial competition over a gold mine, with two different contractors as the conflicting parties. Our workers were accidentally caught up in the conflict. It had nothing to do with us, it was just an accident.
"Broken Wing Cowboy" has more than 100,000 followers on Toutiao, but since April, he has not posted anything. Before losing contact, he was going to Afghanistan to discuss gold mine development issues, and then he disappeared! "Broken Wing Cowboy" had been doing business in Afghanistan for many years, and was very familiar with the situation there, and had a dedicated security team for protection. Even so, "Broken Wing Cowboy" could not withstand it, which means something must have happened to him, but what exactly is still unclear.
The blogger quoted "Broken Wing Cowboy's" words, saying that the gold mine rights in Afghanistan were purchased from the Taliban side, but the local forces in Afghanistan are very strong, and even the Taliban cannot control them. Therefore, when the mining teams go to develop the gold mine, the local Afghan forces also demand a share, and many local forces come to demand a share, sitting back and reaping the benefits. So the mine owners who are developing the gold mine cannot afford it, as the money they make is not enough to cover the shares.
Therefore, they can only seek protection from the largest Afghan force, but other small forces become jealous and look for trouble. Then, the local Afghan armed groups will fight each other. Generally, these fights will not harm our Chinese people because we are the principal party, giving benefits. However, sometimes, when the Afghan armed forces are desperate, they may indiscriminately injure our Chinese personnel involved in gold mine development. There have been many such accidents before, including "Broken Wing Cowboy," who has gone missing without a trace.
Afghanistan may appear to be a country on the surface, but the local forces are too strong, and the tribal forces are very powerful. The Taliban cannot control these local forces. Therefore, investing in Afghanistan is very dangerous, and ordinary people should not go there; it is really risking your life for money. Finally, I hope that "Broken Wing Cowboy" will soon return to update. It's really not easy, and it's too dangerous.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838404361623564/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.