TALUQAN, Afghanistan, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- The provincial administration has banned illegal mines in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province.
"From now on, anyone getting involved in illegal digging of mines and minerals would be arrested and punished in accordance with the law," deputy head of the provincial administration Haji Kazim told reporters on Friday.
He issued the directive amid increase in illegal digging and extraction of mines as five people were killed during extraction of gold from a mine in Chah Ab district of Takhar province days ago.
The Taliban-run caretaker government has promised to safeguard all the underground treasures from illegal mining as part of efforts to recover the war-torn country's impoverished economy.
Besides banning illegal mines, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has repeatedly called on domestic and international companies to invest in mining sector in war-ravaged Afghanistan. ■
