The Pentagon has valued Afghanistan’s mineral resources at close to $1 trillion with rare earths, potash, graphite and fluorspar among the highest in value.
Over the last three years, data collection by a number of international government bodies has built on Soviet historical data to record a wealth of untapped minerals which The Task Force for Business & Stability Operations (TFBSO) has valued at $908.94bn.
The new estimates are considerably larger than any previously known reserves and “enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself”, according to senior US government officials.
The TFBSO said that the Afghanistan’s rare earths resources are worth $7.4bn., potash was valued at $5bn. while graphite and fluorspar were said to be worth $671m. and $644m., respectively.
“I think it is very, very big news for the people of Afghanistan,” said Waheed Omar, a...