ANI |
Up to date: Jan 24, 2023 06:52 IST

Kabul [Afghanistan], January 24 (ANI): 5 males, together with two Chinese language nationals, had been arrested by the Taliban over the alleged smuggling of an estimated 1,000 metric tons of lithium-bearing rocks overseas, native media reported.
The Chinese language nationals had been reportedly attempting to smuggle the ‘treasured’ stones from Afghanistan to China by way of Pakistan by way of their Afghan allies.
The arrests and the rock confiscation befell in Jalalabad, a border metropolis in japanese Afghanistan, based on Reporterly.
Based on native sources, the rocks contained as much as 30 per cent of lithium and had been “secretly” extracted from Nuristan and Kunar, two of the a number of Afghan provinces alongside the border with Pakistan.
The Chinese language nationals and their Afghan collaborators had been planning to illegally transport the “treasured stones” to China by way of Pakistan, stated the Taliban intelligence officers in feedback aired Sunday by Afghan tv channels, based on Reporterly.

The connection between China and Afghanistan has turn into dicey since December 12 when a bomb and gun assault focused a resort, injuring 5 Chinese language nationals.
This assault led to Beijing’s tepid strategy as China in its advisory requested residents to go away Afghanistan.
Nevertheless, in November final yr, Afghanistan is seen in talks with China to rekindle the traditional Silk Street commerce routes with a purpose to assist its dwindling financial system. However it appears that evidently Afghanistan additionally had the identical plan as China.
On August 15 in 2021, when the Taliban took over Afghanistan, China expressed its readiness to supply pleasant cooperation to the landlocked nation. The Chinese language International Ministry additionally meant to play a constructive position in Afghanistan. In truth, China like Pakistan, Russia, and Iran had emerged as trusted allies of the Taliban regime, based on Al Arabia Put up.
Beijing treats the landlocked nation with tact and caution–no massive funding or help, aside from a couple of trades in low-cost items. (ANI)