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The good news from the men at the Pentagon is that beneath the landmines Afghanistan is sitting on a goldmine.
Exactly when they took their degrees in geology is unclear but officials have estimated that Afghanistan’s mineral resources could be worth $1 trillion.
This suspiciously round number appears to be based on geological surveys made decades ago as well as recent on-the-ground research.
How thorough that could have been is open to debate, given that it takes the world’s best miners about a decade to explore a new area.
Factor in Afghanistan’s size, and the Pentagon must have had an army of geologists working in the country since immediately after 9/11 to have accurately studied its terrain.
The $1 trillion figure is, therefore, highly misleading. It is a theoretical number and may have little relation to the value of resources that could actually be exploited.
KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan mining official says the untapped minerals in the war-torn country are worth at least $3 trillion — triple a U.S. estimate.
Minister of Mines Wahidullah Shahrani said Thursday he's going to Britian next week to discuss how to attract foreign investors to mine one of the world's largest iron ore deposits in Bamiyan province. The relatively safe area is in the heart of the war-torn nation.
WASHINGTON — Mining companies around the world are eager to exploit Afghanistan’s newly discovered mineral wealth, but executives of Western firms caution that war, corruption and lack of roads and other infrastructure are likely to delay exploration for years.
A few high-risk investors are sufficiently intrigued by the country’s potential to take an early look. JP Morgan, for instance, has just sent a team of mining experts to Afghanistan to examine possible projects to develop.
“Afghanistan could be one of the leading producers of copper, gold, lithium and iron ore in the world,” said Ian Hannam, a London-based banker and mining expert with JP Morgan. “I believe this has the potential to be transforming for Afghanistan.”
Mining industry executives, as well as American officials, are also concerned about the corruption in the Afghan government, and are uncertain how to avoid turning the discovery of great mineral wealth into nothing more than a windfall for Kabul’s oligarchs. “I know some people have gone in to kick the tires, and some guys found there was too much risk, too much corruption, and didn’t want to play the game,” observed Mr. Yeager, the Colorado geologist. “They have got to resolve the corruption issue.”
Originally posted by SLAYER69
Somehow this doesn't surprise me.
Outside of the poppy fields and oil pipeline routs there had to be something that was more valuable in the region. I'm surprised they released this info. I doubt that this is actually a new discovery. It was probably known for years.