Afghanistan Mineral Deposit Discovery: Afghan Economy, War Could Be Altered By Nearly $1 Trillion In Iron, Copper, Cobalt, Gold, Lithium

New York Times:

The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.

The previously unknown deposits -- including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium -- are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[riff4u]

03:10 AM on 06/16/2010

Sounds like the plot for Avatar...........for real.

[riff4u]

11:22 PM on 06/15/2010

Trillions of dollars in mineral ore. In other words we are never going to leave Afghanistan, no matter how many Americans die.

[Ramkshrestha]

05:03 PM on 06/15/2010

This is not a new discovery. Back in January 1984, the chief engineer of the Afghan Geological Survey Department published a report saying the country had reserves of a wide variety of mineral resources, including iron, chrome, copper, silver, gold, barite sulfur, talc, magnesium, mica marble and lapis lazuli. The Afghan government in the mid 1980s was preparing to develop a number of the mineral resources on a large scale with Soviet technical assistance, the chamber said. But the Russians left in 1989 and Afghanistan descended into a war which has, more or less, continued since then. Here is the report: http://www.afghanchamber.com/about/Mining.htm

[BorisPutinov]

10:10 AM on 06/15/2010

Tovarich.
You have discovered the Moon !
We too knew that back when ( mountainous regions tend to be rich in minerals ).
The question then becomes, is it worth it to stay and ' help ' the locals extract them ?
With a warehouse ( Siberia ) full of everything we can possibly need, we decided it was not.
You will no doubt face a similar decission ( you have Alaska which we graciously sold to you some time back ).
Armies cost money to maintain and the people get tired of losses in the field Tovarich.

Boris

[chaupper]

09:09 AM on 06/15/2010

this is Bull Shit. US companies bid and lost to the Chinese in 2007 for copper mining.
The Afgans and Chinese were getting too close for our country and we were shut out and none of our companies were awarded any contracts:

Two years ago the China Metallurgical Group Corporation, a Chinese government-owned conglomerate, won a bid of $3.4 billion — $1 billion more than any of its competitors from Canada, Europe, Russia, the United States and Kazakhstan — for the rights to mine copper deposits near the village of Aynak, 20 miles southwest of Kabul. The valley around Aynak contains what is believed to be the world's second largest remaining copper deposits - 240 million tons of it.

The Afghan government is seeking bids for its second great mineral project, a behemoth called Hajigak that is said to contain 60 billion tons of iron ore. There are seven finalists — all companies from India and China.

The United States views Southwest Asia and the Middle East mostly as a security threat. China sees it as an opportunity.

[rissole]

12:13 AM on 06/15/2010

If the estimate $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan is correct, I would expect China to be making a move shortly.

[farmilyman]

10:13 AM on 06/15/2010

Russia could also claim they found it first.

[Jingo]

11:49 PM on 06/14/2010

No.. that's not Halliburton doing mountaintop removal mining... we're just digging for Osama Bin Laden.

[duxguts]

11:13 PM on 06/14/2010

Well folks now you know the real reason young men and women are dying and suffering horrific injuries in Afghanistan. Can't wait to see who gets the no bid-contracts. The lobbyists will be throwing money around all over the place. Schumer will be able to buy a new Torah.

[farmilyman]

11:12 PM on 06/14/2010

A few more finds like this could reimburse the country for Bush's wars.

[Carolab]

02:21 AM on 06/15/2010

Whose country?

[farmilyman]

10:12 AM on 06/15/2010

Ours. We can't begin to estimate the cost to the invaded countries.

[JohnnyTraveler]

10:56 PM on 06/14/2010

Still believe american troops will be out in 2011?
The fun part is that you're paying for all this mess-including making rich people richer.

[GCitizen]

09:01 PM on 06/14/2010

At least, the U.S. is starting to reveal why it is occupying Afghanistan. The U.S. is starting from where the Soviets left. The pentagon is even using old Soviet geological and mineral maps.

Will the U.S. have a better ending to this adventure than the Soviets?

[doctor4kids]

07:26 PM on 06/14/2010

And here's the rest of what Dennis Kucinich said:

“The announcement of the ‘discovery’ also raises serious questions about our role in Afghanistan. If the reserves were known or at the very least estimated for years, why did officials in Afghanistan hold a press conference the same day the New York Times was able to uncover an internal Pentagon memo? If this was not a new discovery, but the efforts of a public relations strategy, what are the goals of that strategy? By July 4, Congress is expected to be asked to allocate another $33 billion dollars for the War in Afghanistan. Is this announcement meant to shore up support for a disastrous war eight and a half long years in the making?

“These questions challenge the fundamental rationale for the American presence in Afghanistan and shed light on the manipulation that has kept our nation at war for nearly a decade,” said Kucinich.

[Carolab]

02:22 AM on 06/15/2010

Exactly. PRO_PAGANDA.

The USGS knew this and reported on it in 2007

[doctor4kids]

07:25 PM on 06/14/2010

Here's more from Congressman Kucinich:

“We now know that ‘discovery’ of vast repositories of natural resources in Afghanistan was overstated, likely the result of a new policy rather than new information. The mineral wealth of the nation has been estimated for decades and known for years. The only new information revealed was that these reserves may be worth nearly one trillion dollars. These few facts, however, raise serious questions about the future of Afghanistan and our role there.

“The wealth of any nation belongs to its people. The value of Afghanistan’s mineral reserves must be controlled by the Afghan people. The history of mining in developing countries with weak protective governmental infrastructure is replete with stories of worker exploitation, destruction of water, soil, habitat, the fouling of air, and the increased incidence of diseases in nearby communities. Providing even a modicum of protection for the Afghan people from powerful multinational mining corporations will be nearly impossible for a nation currently led by a government known more for its corruption than its leadership.

[ABQ-Mike]

07:02 PM on 06/14/2010

Can you imagine the taliban with money? Platinum plated, diamond encrusted rocket launchers. Yeeow. Goatherds in Guccis. Jihadists wearing Rolexes. Clerics in Cadillacs. The mind boggles.

[dresdengirl]

08:28 PM on 06/14/2010

LOL

[taraferry]

05:40 AM on 06/15/2010

ahahaa

[CoronaDischarge]

06:55 PM on 06/14/2010

Whatever is there looks moot. They don't seem to have the infrastructure or water resources that might make mining operations practical.

[ABQ-Mike]

07:05 PM on 06/14/2010

With a trillion bucks at stake, I would think some water could be had.

[HotChocolateParty]

07:21 PM on 06/14/2010

It's begun

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/7825064/Afghanistan-to-complete-first-railway-by-end-of-year.html