Last year, the government in Kabul signed two contracts for exploration of copper and gold in the north. Part of the river in Badakhshan where the deadly episode occurred is controlled by the Taliban, who get a cut from the gold panned there, said Mr. Talat, the provincial council member. But on Sunday, Nimatullah Wafa, a member of provincial council, confirmed reports attributed to local officials that 16 soldiers had died. “The security situation in some Kandahar districts is getting worse,” Mr. Wafa said. “They have more courage to attack a peaceful district like Spinboldak — that rarely happened when Gen. Raziq was alive.”

Source: New York Times January 06, 2019 15:11 UTC