(London Guardian) Islamic State and the Taliban are engaged in a bitter battle over control of mines in Afghanistan that supply much of the talcum used by European and US consumers.
The mineral, used in everything from baby powder and cosmetics to paint and car parts, is mined in areas of eastern Afghanistanwhere the Taliban and Islamic State in Afghanistan are vying for supremacy.
The struggle to control the extraction of talc and other minerals, such as chromite, has been exposed in . The campaign group has spent months investigating how the murky trade means western consumers are effectively supporting insurgents in the country.
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