Daesh Smuggling Trees, Precious Stones to Finance Militancy in Afghanistan
Islamic State is chopping down fruit trees and smuggling the timber into Pakistan, claim Afghan officials and local residents of the Deh Bala district of eastern Nangarhar province where the terrorist group operates.
Islamic State is chopping down fruit trees and smuggling the timber into Pakistan, claim Afghan officials and local residents of the Deh Bala district of eastern Nangarhar province where the terrorist group operates.
According to VOA, some of the local residents who previously helped the Taliban [are] now helping IS militants, Gul Khan Shinwari, a local tribal leader said.
“IS militants also took our entire pine nuts crop and destroyed our source of income,” he added.
Similar incidents were also reported in the neighboring Achin and Nazian districts where locals said IS militants using cutting-edge technology to cut down the jungles.
According to the news service, IS militants are hiring locals to help them cut the trees.
Gen. Abdul Rahman Rahimi, Nangarhar police chief, confirmed the smuggling reports and blamed the locals for not being cooperative.
Locals in the eastern Nangarhar province charge that IS militants had also illegally excavated unspecified mines in the Kot and Achin districts in a bid to overcome their financial needs.
According to an Afghan anti-corruption network report published in 2017, militant groups received at least $46 million from minerals and precious stones illegally exported in 2016 from the eastern Nangarhar province to neighboring Pakistan.
