Officials of the Islamic Emirate said that the Logar Mes Aynak copper-mining project, a major venture with China, has resumed operations.

“One of the projects that China has been working on for thirteen years is the Mes Aynak project, for which some contracts have been signed. We want to finalize this project with China,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamic Emirate.

Mujahid also called on potential financial backers to invest in Afghanistan.

The head of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, in a meeting with the country’s business owners, said that Afghanistan has many mines and a lot of natural resources, and if they are used properly they could solve the nation's economic problems.

“If one of our mines is regulated, extracted and processed on a regular basis, our problems will be solved,” said Shahabuddin Delawar, minister of mines and petroleum.

In the meantime, officials of steel mills said that there are 42 steel mills in the country which employ over 20,000 workers.

The factory owners have requested that the Islamic Emirate provided them with opportunities to extract metal from the mines in the country.

“We have made great efforts to extract, but unfortunately it didn’t work; now we hope to extract from iron mines for the first time in Afghanistan,” said Parwaiz Khwajazada, factory head.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Industries and Mines said that many factories in the country have been closed due to the lack of raw materials and markets, and dozens of factory workers have lost their jobs.