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Rare Earth: Afghanistan Sits on $1 Trillion in Minerals
NBC ^ | Sept. 5, 2014 | Charles Q. Choi

Posted on 08/18/2019 2:56:43 PM PDT by mikeIII

Despite being one of the poorest nations in the world, Afghanistan may be sitting on one of the richest troves of minerals in the world, valued at nearly $1 trillion, scientists say.

Afghanistan, a country nearly the size of Texas, is loaded with minerals deposited by the violent collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia. The U.S. Geological Survey began inspecting what mineral resources Afghanistan had after U.S.-led forces drove the Taliban from power in the country in 2004.

(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; rareearth; taliban
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I know this is a dated news article, but it may have some current significance. Is Trump being a little too hasty in pulling out of Afghanistan and handing over control to the Taliban? Afghanistan does not have the same mining restrictions as we do here, and China, the only other source for these precious elements hasn't been reliable.

We've sunk a $trillion there already.

1 posted on 08/18/2019 2:56:43 PM PDT by mikeIII
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To: mikeIII

Country seems beautiful and full of potential — and before radical Islam took over, was rather modern...Cold War played role in its downfall too I bet.


2 posted on 08/18/2019 2:59:14 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: mikeIII

That is excellent. They can make a lot of money legally, hopefully ending the drug trade.


3 posted on 08/18/2019 3:01:42 PM PDT by Innovative
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To: mikeIII

Problem is, they let China have first dibs on the mining rights.

China has won exploration rights for copper, coal, oil, and lithium deposits across Afghanistan, and there are reports that Beijing won the rights to develop a copper mine by bribing Afghan mining officials.


4 posted on 08/18/2019 3:05:34 PM PDT by tbw2
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To: mikeIII

This is old news and the stupid muslims will never take advantage of it. Look what happened when they took over the gaza atrip. There was an incredible 15 million dollar greenhouse operation donated by the Americans, producing two 747 planeloads a week of fruits and vegetables that went to Europe. The entire operation was pilfered, destroyed, and sits in ruins. Muslims only know hatred, just like their false “prophet” and false god has taught them.


5 posted on 08/18/2019 3:08:51 PM PDT by Fungi
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To: Innovative

They will go for a twofer....1 trillion is what 1/17 of u.s. national debt? Am I wrong?


6 posted on 08/18/2019 3:11:34 PM PDT by Getready (Wisdom is more valuable than gold and diamonds, and harder to find.)
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To: Fungi

The entire operation was pilfered, destroyed, and sits in ruins


Well not entirely as many of the buildings were converted to weapons shops ...


7 posted on 08/18/2019 3:13:02 PM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: Innovative
As of now we're till in-charge in Afghanistan.

I was thinking maybe there's an opportunity here a la "Avatar"!

8 posted on 08/18/2019 3:15:28 PM PDT by mikeIII
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To: mikeIII

we have already lost more than we could regain by looting the entire country... it’s time to get out 100% and stay out


9 posted on 08/18/2019 3:17:44 PM PDT by thoughtomator (... this has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.)
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To: mikeIII

A good friend of mine is descended from some bigshot in the pre-Islamic Afghani government. That country would be a shining star on the world stage if not for the caveman insanity that took it over.


10 posted on 08/18/2019 3:18:11 PM PDT by Spruce
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To: mikeIII

According to Obama the Moslems are NASA scientists and mathematicians. Shouldn’t that shithole be a gleaming first world *Mecca* by now?


11 posted on 08/18/2019 3:21:50 PM PDT by americas.best.days... ( Donald John Trump has pulled the sword from the stone.)
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To: mikeIII

Last I read it was something like $9-14 Trillion dollars.

And who do you think is going to get the lions share of that? The US after occupying for 18 years? The Russians, after their brutal occupation? Or the Chinese—who with the exception of the Khans, pretty much left them alone?

The US thinks we can go in and make these countries democracies, when they have been tribal since before Alexander invaded. Sometimes I wonder if our leaders have a scrap of sense in their heads.


12 posted on 08/18/2019 3:22:25 PM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: mikeIII

With the lives and treasure already spent on it—and just our own, to say nothing of empires past—it isn’t worth it.


13 posted on 08/18/2019 3:25:01 PM PDT by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: mikeIII

As long as it is run by muzzies,let them kill each other. The Russians failed there as we are failing now and the British did long ago. Maybe the Chinese would like to take a crack at it.


14 posted on 08/18/2019 3:25:27 PM PDT by dynachrome (Build the wall, deport them all. And send her back!)
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To: mikeIII
No they are not the only Source, North Korea has 6 to 10 Trillion in Rare Earths, I'll let you dig up the article from 2012-13ish. Let the ChiComs have Afcrapistan, we can have NK for Rare Earths. BTW we have more Lithium than we let on, I have posted the article months ago, NC, AR, & the Salton Sea along w/ Northern CA & Nevada maybe Utah. Lithium seems to have a propensity to be found around former active volcano's from eons ago, which makes me wonder about Alaska and does it have it in the mountain ranges, there is some speculation about OR / Washington State via the volcanos of yore. The question begs what does Greenland have, and is this why the salvo to buy it. I know it has minerals / rare earths, there have been TV shows hunting for it in Greenland, but does it have Lithium....
15 posted on 08/18/2019 3:27:37 PM PDT by taildragger ("Do you hear the people Singing? Singing the Songs of Angry Men!")
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To: taildragger
It is my understanding that there is a significant lead time to get mining productive, and there are also some environmental issues to be dealt with.

The Chinese have already blackmailed us once in the recent past.

16 posted on 08/18/2019 3:33:25 PM PDT by mikeIII
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To: mikeIII

Not to mention the massive Opium Poppy fields there, too.


17 posted on 08/18/2019 3:38:10 PM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: mikeIII

The number probably doesn’t account for extraction costs. For mineral resources to be profitable to extract, they have to be reasonably concentrated. A good chunk of the geological report is probably geologists looking for a second bite at a very lucrative contract. Costs the geologists nothing if the preliminary conclusions turn out to be a mirage from a profit-loss perspective. Unlike lawyers, they don’t work on a contingency fee basis.


18 posted on 08/18/2019 3:41:31 PM PDT by Zhang Fei (My dad had a Delta 88. That was a car. It was like driving your living room.)
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To: mikeIII

Why do you think We and the Russians, Chinese are there?

It aint all opium and goats.


19 posted on 08/18/2019 3:50:24 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Vermont Lt
Last I read it was something like $9-14 Trillion dollars.

And who do you think is going to get the lions share of that? The US after occupying for 18 years? The Russians, after their brutal occupation? Or the Chinese—who with the exception of the Khans, pretty much left them alone?

The US thinks we can go in and make these countries democracies, when they have been tribal since before Alexander invaded. Sometimes I wonder if our leaders have a scrap of sense in their heads.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Suppose these metals could replace the market value of their poppy fields??

How many hands did those mineral rights go through before they made it to China?

Afghanistan > mujaheddin > OBL > C_A > GHWB > CF > China

20 posted on 08/18/2019 3:53:10 PM PDT by thinden
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