Taliban Take Pakistan's Emerald Mines

After giving up the Swat Valley to the Taliban, the Pakistan government just watched as the Taliban took over operation of the emerald mines in the region. The mines are known to be part of the largest emerald deposits in South Asia.

So far the Pakistan government has made no move to contest the Taliban's control of the mines. This is despite the fact that the funds from the emerald operations are likely to be a huge boost to Taliban coffers.

Interesting. Given that a stigma was placed on diamonds used to fund wars, called blood diamonds, maybe now we'll see murdering-bastard emeralds. Or, maybe not.

However, the fact that the Taliban is officially taking over land and industry along with governmental authority in Pakistan is ominous. It's not a leap of logic to imagine that the Taliban will someday take control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

Sadly, all the king's horses and all the king's men haven't been able to stop North Korean nor Iran's nuclear ambitions, so there's no reason to be confident that the Taliban won't someday be a nuclear power.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.