Taliban Holding Passports of Three Afchin Company Employees, Sources Say

Sources close to the Chinese company Afchin told Afghanistan International that Taliban intelligence has held the passports of three of its employees for nearly 270 days. The Chinese embassy in Kabul has requested that the Taliban return the passports to allow the employees to return to China.

These sources said on Thursday that the head of Taliban intelligence confiscated the passports on orders from the Taliban Ministry of Mines and Petroleum. The three Chinese citizens can move freely in Kabul but cannot leave the country without their passports.

Afghanistan International previously reported on September 8 that the Taliban had released eight Chinese Afchin employees, who returned to China, while four others remained in Taliban custody. The Taliban canceled its oil contract with Afchin for Amu Darya for unspecified reasons and seized the company's machinery. One Taliban source declined to explain the reason for detaining the individuals.

The Taliban Ministry of Mines and Petroleum announced on June 4 that the 25-year contract for exploration and extraction at the Amu Darya oil field had been terminated due to repeated breaches of commitments by Afchin.

A Chinese source previously stated that the Taliban canceled the contract but is now holding company employees to pressure Afchin into handing over the machinery. The Taliban is using the machinery to extract oil, sources said.

Sources close to Afchin said domestic companies and entities lack the capacity for oil extraction, and the current process will damage production. They noted that Afchin's technology is complex and the underground structure of Amu Darya oil is intricate, warning that the oil will deplete soon.

Recently, the Taliban sent a delegation from its Ministry of Mines to Russia's Tatarstan Republic, requesting Russian companies to take over Amu Darya oil extraction.