Acting minister of mines and petroleum Shahabuddin Dilawar (L), Afghanistan’s acting first deputy prime minister Abdul Ghani Baradar (C) and China’s ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu attend a press conference to announce an oil extraction contract with a Chinese company in Kabul on January 5, 2023.
Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP via Getty Images
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Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP via Getty Images
When the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban took control, China stepped in with a sizable investment to develop oil fields. But now the Afghan Government has cut the contract and the Chinese firm says the Taliban took some of its workers hostage.