Officials of the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum say they have established committees to tackle problems relating to 15 mining projects in the country. Officials said the ministry has prioritized the issue of resolving these problems. “This issue is a priority and resolving the problems around these projects is very important for the people of Afghanistan and for the country’s economy,” said the acting director of legal services for the ministry of mines. However, mining experts have said that in the absence of a clear vision for the development of mines in the country, problems in relation to the projects will continue. These mining experts also said the lack of capacity within the ministry of mines is an ongoing challenge. “I think that in the present situation, the Ministry will not be able to solve these great problems of mines; maybe it's a start, but if we do not have a clear vision for our projects, it's unlikely that we will achieve results,” said a legal expert in the mining industry. Seventeen years ago, attempts were started to begin the extraction of minerals at the country's largest mines. Of these, Aynak Copper Mine, Hajigak Iron Mine, Tajik and Amu Darya oil fields, and several other mines, were earmarked as key mines but little has been done to date to get these mines up and running.
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