A large amount of this survey work went on before the Obama administration. Things were actually quieter there then than now.
That applies the NYT article. I'm wondering about the source for the post that the time of the Russians in Afghanistan was the same time that they mined for gallium arsenide. I'd not encountered that before and don't see it online anywhere. A google search for "gallium arsenide afghanistan russians" brings up as the #1 web page this very thread from 3 hours ago.