The Taliban regime in Afghanistan reportedly arrested five men, including two Chinese nationals, over their alleged roles in the illegal smuggling of lithium-bearing stones from Afghanistan into China.
The two Chinese nationals were accused of trying to smuggle 1,000 metric tons of stones containing 30 percent of lithium into China through Pakistan with the help of their Afghan collaborators, Khaama Press reported, citing local sources.
They allegedly mined the stones from Nuristan and Kunar, the two Afghan provinces that border Pakistan. The arrests were made in Jalalabad, an eastern border city in Afghanistan, according to the report.
Lithium is the main element of lithium-ion batteries, a critical component of smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles….