This photograph taken on August 5, 2026 shows an Afghan goldsmith melting gold at a workshop in Fayzabad, in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province. In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed. (Photo by OMER ABRAR / AFP via Getty Images)

This photograph taken on July 28, 2026 shows a general view of a gold mine beside a field at Gulak-Dara valley in Shiwa area of Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province. In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP via Getty Images)

This photograph taken on August 5, 2026 shows an Afghan goldsmith melting gold at a workshop in Fayzabad, in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province. In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed. (Photo by OMER ABRAR / AFP via Getty Images)

This photograph taken on July 27, 2026 shows Taliban Director of Mines in Badakhshan, Abdul Matin Rahimzai speaking during an interview with AFP at his office in Fayzabad, in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province. In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP via Getty Images)

This photograph taken on July 28, 2026 shows Afghan miners separating dirt and stones from gold nuggets at Gulak-Dara valley in Shiwa area of Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province. In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP via Getty Images)

This photograph taken on July 28, 2026 shows a general view of Shiwa area in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province. In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP via Getty Images)

This photograph taken on July 28, 2026 shows Afghan miners excavating a mountain to extract gold at Gulak-Dara valley in Shiwa area of Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province. In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP via Getty Images)

This photograph taken on July 28, 2026 shows a general view of a gold mine at Gulak-Dara valley in Shiwa area of Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province. In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP via Getty Images)