Afghanistan may have 1 trillion dollar minerals potential

[Nima]

Would it be smart to buy land in AFG b/c of this? Wouldn't land prices sky rocket in the future?

 

[ARSENAL6]

Gentlemen and ladies,

WE are all in for a big surprise. And the surprise is that the u s may not leave afghanistan for ever.

Reason being---it will be disclosed that there are possibly trillions of dollars worth of minerals found in afganistan---something beyond the wildest dreams of afghans and its neighbours.

China, russia, iran----get ready for the new u s colony.

Pakistan---seems like your fortunes are again linked with those of the americans.

The is going to be some serious power posturing between india and pakistan.

So posters when you find that news---post it here.

9/11 was inside job afterall sigh.

 

[dbc]

Gentlemen and ladies,

Bottomline is that the u s of a needed control of rare minerals---an oppurtunity came in its way---OBL was right in a way when he said that u s will do nothing---well they would have done nothing---if the al qaeda and the taliban had not been sitting on the largest gold nugget in the history of mankind.

...yes our ships sets sail for the "largest gold nugget" known to man carrying a cargo of salves to help us exploit exotic riches. We paid for allegiance of Warlords and Kings, killed those that opposed us hexed those that could not be killed....

Sometimes I get carried away with MastanKhan's imagination, lets curb our predisposition to fantasy and acknowledge that we're now in the 21st century. And in this century of "civilized nations" where "civilized humans" live in civilized transparent societies, is it really possible for the US government to perpetuate the fraud of the century as you suggest?

The USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) has been engaged in Afghanistan since the early 50's.

The majority of information on Afghanistan's mineral resources was produced between the early 1950s and about 1985. However, during the intermittent conflict over the next two decades, much of that data was hidden and protected by Afghan scientists. After 2001, this valuable data was returned to the Afghan government, and the USGS gathered new data and identified additional information in locations outside of Afghanistan.

The USGS along with Geological institutes from several nations were commissioned by the World Bank in 2004 to develop the mining infrastructure, formulate new laws and build a portfolio to attract foreign investments in the mining sector.

So your claim of secret riches being exploited on the pretext of war on terror ..is ..is.. ridiculous to say the very least.

USGS Projects in Afghanistan

..the only problem keeping Afghan natural resource from the market since the 1950's is investors. We are working with several nations and the World Bank to make it happen for the future of the people of Afghanistan.

 

[Gin ka Pakistan]

...yes our ships sets sail for the "largest gold nugget" known to man carrying a cargo of salves to help us exploit exotic riches. We paid for allegiance of Warlords and Kings, killed those that opposed us hexed those that could not be killed....

Sometimes I get carried away with MastanKhan's imagination, lets curb our predisposition to fantasy and acknowledge that we're now in the 21st century. And in this century of "civilized nations" where "civilized humans" live in civilized transparent societies, is it really possible for the US government to perpetuate the fraud of the century as you suggest?

The USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) has been engaged in Afghanistan since the early 50's.



The USGS along with Geological institutes from several nations were commissioned by the World Bank in 2004 to develop the mining infrastructure, formulate new laws and build a portfolio to attract foreign investments in the mining sector.

So your claim of secret riches being exploited on the pretext of war of terror ..is ..is.. ridiculous to say the very least.

USGS Projects in Afghanistan

..the only problem keeping Afghan natural resource from the market since the 1950's is investors. We are working with several nations and the World Bank to make it happen for the future of the people of Afghanistan.

Yes US has no interest in Afghan except for welfare of Afghan people and all the tenders be given through fair means and Afghan government will be free to chose any Chinese or Russians company to come and mine there on the principal of open market.

But Wait
Even when Iraq is in US control we still have bases in Saudi Arab and Kuwait not for Oil but to protect it people from Saddam (even when he is dead).

We are what Hollywood project us.

Give me a break, Death.By.Chocolate its a capitalist world and gold diggers are still active and will go were the gold is.

 

[dbc]

Yes US has no interest in Afghan except for welfare of Afghan people and all the tenders be given through fair means and Afghan government will be free to chose any Chinese or Russians company to come and mine there on the principal of open market.

But Wait
Even when Iraq is in US control we still have bases in Saudi Arab and Kuwait not for Oil but to protect it people from Saddam (even when he is dead).

We are what Hollywood project us.

Give me a break, Death.By.Chocolate its a capitalist world and gold diggers are still active and will go were the gold is.

..get over your cynicism the Chinese have been awarded several exploration blocks. Last I checked they are extracting copper from Aynak copper reserves...

 

[SekrutYakhni]

We have touched such low grounds now..

Minerals out of the blood of Afghanis.

“We have, in fact, two kinds of morality side by side; one which we preach but do not practice, and another which we practice but seldom preach.”
Bertrand Russell

“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.


I hope that profit is shared among Afghanis but I am afraid that Afghanistan will become another oil enriched Nigeria. And should I share the conditions of Nigerians? Cheers to the invaders and best of luck to the countries who will benefit from the minerals but Mercy upon the people who died and the ones who are suffering.

 

[SekrutYakhni]

2012-doomds day should come soon. It is inevitable considering the attitude of human beings towards mother nature, other species and humans themselves. I think that we have landed on the doorsteps of hell.

I bet that trillion dollar reserves will not have a significant impact on Afghanis.

I have been saying this again and again since fourteen months that Balochistan and Afghanistan are mineral enriched areas. But why do we blame India for destabilizing Balochistan when our own Pakistani government failed to provide basic facilities to Balochis over and over again--

 

[Ahchai Eliminator]

Value of Afghanistan’s mineral discovery needs to be dealt with cautiously June 14, 2010
David Robertson, Business Correspondent

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.

After all, you can dig up any garden in the UK and find copper, iron and all manner of other metals and minerals. The North Sea alone contains an estimated $207 billion of gold.

The difference between a British garden and the vast mines of Australia and South Africa is that minerals and metals are found there in quantities and concentrations that make it economical to extract.

It will be of little benefit to Afghanistan if its $1 trillion of mineral resources would cost $2 trillion to dig up.

The Americans have also made an error in publicising this guesstimate of Afghanistan’s mineral wealth because it will raise expectations and thereby inflate future “facilitation payments”.

It is an unwritten rule among mining companies that you never get too specific about the potential value of deposits in developing countries as it only serves to inflate the bribes that are requested.

Afghanistan’s former Minister of Mines has already been accused by the Americans of receiving a $30 million bribe to allocate mining licences.

Even if there were $1 trillion of mineral resources in Afghanistan, and even if those resources were economically viable, it would be years before a large Western miner considered going anywhere near the country.

BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Xstrata and Anglo American — the world’s largest miners — have no intention of moving into Afghanistan because the risk is far greater than the reward.

It would cost $5 billion or more to develop a large copper, iron ore or gold mine in Afghanistan and potentially a further $5 billion to build the necessary infrastructure (roads, railways, etc).

No company will risk that sort of money in a country where the Government does not control all the territory and contract law is far from solid.

The only people to have shown an interest in Afghanistan’s mines so far are the Chinese because, unlike a private company, they can tie agreements to foreign aid, loans and arms deals — things that Kabul will not want to renege on.

It is possible that China’s grab for Afghan resources has prompted the Pentagon’s attempt to generate some interest from the rest of the world in the country’s resources.

The Americans might not like the idea of someone else benefiting from its military commitment to Afghanistan but Chinese mines might still be preferable to poppy fields.

Value of Afghanistan’s mineral discovery needs to be dealt with cautiously - Times Online

 

[Luftwaffe]

And after 8 Years of failure us finds minerals or guesses about it when its time they slowly exit, another strategy to leave mess behind after their exit. I leave it to members to think and answer.

 

[SekrutYakhni]

And after 8 Years of failure us finds minerals or guesses about it when its time they slowly exit, another strategy to leave mess behind after their exit. I leave it to members to think and answer.

I have been saying this again and again; practically, over fourteen months now. I can smell the boots coming to Pakistan from Afghanistan. I might be wrong but it's good to share your feelings.

 

[Fighter488]

AFGHANISTAN A $1TN MINERAL STASH ​

American Geologists Discover Vast Natural Resources Including What May Make The Country ‘Saudi Arabia Of Lithium’


James Risen



Washington: 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 US officials believe.



An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the “Saudi Arabia of lithium”, a key raw material for manufacturing batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys. The vast scale of Afghanistan’s mineral wealth was discovered by a small team of Pentagon officials and American geologists. The Afghan government and President Hamid Karzai were recently briefed, officials said.

While it could take many years to develop a mining industry, the potential is so great that officials and executives in the industry believe it could attract heavy investment even before mines are profitable, providing the possibility of jobs that could distract from generations of war.

“There is stunning potential here,” Gen David Petraeus, commander of the US Central Command, said. “There are a lot of ifs, of course, but I think potentially it is hugely significant.”

The value of the newly discovered mineral deposits dwarfs the size of Afghanistan’s existing war-bedraggled economy, which is based largely on opium production and narcotics trafficking. Afghanistan’s gross domestic product is only about $12 billion. “This will become the backbone of the Afghan economy,” said Jalil Jumriany, an adviser to the Afghan minister of mines.

American and Afghan officials agreed to discuss the mineral discoveries at a difficult moment in the war in Afghanistan. The Americanled offensive in Marja in southern Afghanistan has achieved only limited gains. Meanwhile, charges of corruption and favoritism continue to plague the Karzai government, and Mr. Karzai seems increasingly embittered toward the White House.

So the Obama administration is hungry for some positive news to come out of Afghanistan. Yet the American officials also recognize that the mineral discoveries will almost certainly have a double-edged impact.

Instead of bringing peace, the newfound mineral wealth could lead the Taliban to battle even more fiercely to regain control of the country.

The corruption that is already rampant in the Karzai government could also be amplified by the new wealth, particularly if a handful of wellconnected oligarchs, some with ties to the president, gain control of the resources. Endless fights could erupt between the central government in Kabul and provincial and tribal leaders in mineral-rich districts.

At the same time, American officials fear resource-hungry China will try to dominate the development of Afghanistan’s mineral wealth, which could upset the US, given its heavy investment in the region. After winning the bid for its Aynak copper mine in Logar Province, China clearly wants more.

The Pentagon task force has already started trying to help the Afghans set up a system to deal with mineral development. International accounting firms that have expertise in mining contracts have been hired to consult with the Afghan ministry of mines, and technical data is being prepared to turn over to multinational mining companies and other potential foreign investors.

(Thieves are already on the troll. )

In 2004, American geologists, sent to Afghanistan as part of a broader reconstruction effort, stumbled across a series of old charts and data at the library of the Afghan Geological Survey in Kabul that hinted at major mineral deposits in the country. The data had been collected by Soviet experts during the occupation of Afghanistan, but cast aside when they withdrew in 1989.

Armed with the old charts, the US Geological Survey began a series of aerial surveys of Afghanistan’s mineral resources in 2006 over about 70% of the country. The data from those flights was so promising that in 2007, they returned for an even more sophisticated study that offered a three-dimensional profile of mineral deposits. It was the most comprehensive geologic survey of Afghanistan ever conducted.

Pentagon officials said their initial analysis at one location in Ghazni province showed the potential for lithium deposits as large of those of Bolivia, which now has the world’s largest known lithium reserves. For the geologists who are scouring some of the most remote stretches of Afghanistan, there is a growing sense that they are in the midst of one of the great discoveries of their careers.

NYT NEWS SERVICE

ToI feed dated 15-June-2010

 

[fatman17]

looks like they just won the lottery!!!

 

[Ahchai Eliminator]

May be its some kind of baits throw out from US to attract more help from countries thats wish to get a share of the so-called lemon pie.

 

[sur]

 

[gambit]

First it was 'the US invaded Iraq for oil'. That did not panned out so well, did it? As if it was not enough that people ended up with eggs on their faces, now the same people who just finished cleaning themselves up strains the imagination worthy of Hollywood hacks to come up with various conspiratorial schemes for US in Afghanistan. And you guys wonder why the ME is so laughable.