The Real reason they're in Afghanistan!

format_quote Originally Posted by Gossamer skye

....In 10 years Afghanistan will be the richest country in the region."

but US will ever leave the country and will allow Afghan people to enjoy their wealth ?

my guess is the riches they are sitting on is news to the afghanis, while the U.S and its evil allies are spinning the jihadists/islamists/talibanaist/extremists/oppressed burkaed women agenda to get their tentacles into yet another place they can rob dry while convincing the world it is for a good cause.. ...

God, will this hatred and oppression and imperialist agenda ever end?

format_quote Originally Posted by Gossamer skye

Afghanistan sitting on a gold mine
(AFP) – Feb 21, 2008
KABUL 2008 (AFP) — Afghanistan is sitting on a wealth of mineral reserves -- perhaps the richest in the region -- that offer hope for a country mired in poverty after decades of war, the mining minister says.
Significant deposits of copper, iron, gold, oil and gas, and coal -- as well as precious gems such as emeralds and rubies -- are largely untapped and still being mapped, Mohammad Ibrahim Adel told AFP.
And they promise prosperity for one of the world's poorest countries, the minister said, dismissing concerns that a Taliban-led insurgency may thwart efforts to unearth this treasure.
Already in the pipeline is the exploitation of a massive copper deposit -- one of the biggest in the world -- about 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of Kabul.
"There has not been such a big project in the history of Afghanistan," Adel said.
A 30-year lease for the Aynak copper mine was in November offered to the China Metallurgical Group Corporation and the contract is being finalised.
"It is estimated that the Aynak deposit has more than 11 million tonnes (of copper)," he said, citing 1960s surveys by the Soviet Union and a new study by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
"With today's prices, it contains an 88-billion-dollar deposit," he said.
The mine is expected to bring the government 400 million dollars annually in fees and taxes, Adel said.
That is on top of an 800-million-dollar downpayment from the developer who has also committed to build a railway line, a power plant and a village for workers, complete with schools, clinics and roads.
About 5,000 jobs will be created and mining is expected to start in five years. "Up to 40 percent of the income will pour into our pockets," Adel said.
The colossal Aynak project represents, however, only a fraction of Afghanistan's unexploited resources, he said. The scale of the deposits is still being charted.
The USGS is carrying out a nationwide survey of mineral wealth and oil and gas deposits that is expected to be completed in a year, Adel said.
Studies of only 10 percent of the country have discovered abundant deposits of copper, iron, zinc, lead, gold, silver, gems, salt, marble and coal, the ministry says.
The USGS estimates there are about 700 billion cubic metres of gas and 300 million tonnes of oil across several northern provinces.
A Soviet survey estimated there are more than two billion tonnes of iron reserves, the ministry says.
One of the best known iron deposits is at Haji Gak, 90 kilometres west of Kabul.
"If everything goes as we desire, Haji Gak requires two to three billion dollars' investment," said the minister.
"Another 100 million to 1.5 billion dollars is needed to explore the gas and oil mines."
The government plans to offer more projects for private sector tender next year, Adel said.
There is already some mining underway such as ad hoc emerald extraction in the Panjshir valley region northeast of Kabul, where dynamite is used to blow gems out of the ground.
And the ministry has handed two coal mines to private Afghan companies, although they lack standard equipment.
The Aynak contract will be a model for others, with developers expected to put in basic infrastructure as Afghanistan's power grid is weak and its transport network limited.
There is also the challenge of the insurgency, which overshadows development and has made many areas off-limits to foreign companies.
Writer and analyst Waheed Mujda warned there could be no mining in Taliban-held areas, which are mostly in the south, without the permission of the Islamic extremists.
"Any kind of agreement with Taliban will have to involve money and that money obviously would finance the insurgency in part," Mujda told AFP.
But Adel is not concerned. "We can provide security for mining sites simply by hiring a private security company," he said.
Most of the deposits that have been discovered are in the relatively stable north. There are, however, uranium reserves in the southern province of Helmand, one of the worst for Taliban attacks, the minister said.
The minister's sights are firmly set on mining bringing his impoverished country a brighter future.
"In five years' time Afghanistan will not need the world's aid money," he said. "In 10 years Afghanistan will be the richest country in the region."
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »


http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5...i8ul_AHEXmOGzQ

At first this looks like good news for the People of Afghanistan. Than I think of what I have seen of mining wealth. Historically, outside share holders become the wealthy and the owners of the land become slaves of the mines, with their country decimated by the waste from the mines and the people doomed to mine labor at below poverty level wages.

I find this to be very scary:

A 30-year lease for the Aynak copper mine was in November offered to the China Metallurgical Group Corporation and the contract is being finalised.
"It is estimated that the Aynak deposit has more than 11 million tonnes (of copper)," he said, citing 1960s surveys by the Soviet Union and a new study by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Afghanistan is a very small country in terms of area. An area of only 250,001 sq miles or slightly smaller than the size of Texas which is 268,581 square miles. The impact on the environment mining that much copper is staggering. Looking at the region where the copper deposits are (The Kabul Terrane Plate) it seems to be a very fragile and seismological unstable region. I doubt if Kabul will be able to remain long as a population center once mining operations begin.

Copper mines of a large magnitude are terrain and environment changers. If such a mine were proposed to be developed in Texas, I suspect there would be an armed uprising to drive the Miners from the land. But, it seems a few people in Afghanistan will make a sizable chunk of money, move to plush living in either New York or Paris and never think twice of the destroyed land or impoverished miners who become the slaves to provide China with copper. Although China currently currently has several copper fields larger than the Aynak deposit in Afghanistan, it has some reason for wanting the Afghanistan Copper. I don't think they want the Afghanistan copper because they think it will help Afghanistan.

Sadly I think all of the mineral deposits in Afghanistan will only cause further oppression of the people, the only changes will be as to who is the oppressor.

While the USA was willing to face Russia in a physical confrontation, I suspect that we will pull out as gracefully as possible if a Chinese take over becomes evident.

I suspect the current goal for the US is to keep Afghanistan too unstable for China to find a take over of Afghanistan feasible. But, It looks like China will do with money what Russia and USA could not do with Bombs.

I know akhi...
politics is a dirty game.. and the majority of people are sheep gulping it all up.

format_quote Originally Posted by Gossamer skye

I know akhi...
politics is a dirty game.. and the majority of people are sheep gulping it all up.

A very sad fact of life. Gold miners live in poverty. Gold mine owners that never lift a finger to work, live in wealth. The Chinese company will essentially be the mine owners for the duration of the copper mine lease, The Afghanistan people will be the copper miners.

While the USA and other countries have been acting like idiots in the region the Chinese Corporations have been doing the conquests. Some scary contracts either already signed or in the process of being signed:

Iraq and China Sign $3 Billion Oil Contract

Chinese company wins Iraq oil contract

Iraq signs oil contract with Chinese-led group


China, Iran Sign $2 Billion Oil Production Agreement

Iran, China Sign $1.7bln Oil Contract

Article: CHINA NATIONAL CHEMICAL WINS POWER PLANT CONTRACT IN PAKISTAN


China-Pakistan rail link on horizon


CNPC gains Oil Pipeline Project in Pakistan. (Newsdesk).

Some of those articles are old, but keep in mind projects this size normally take 10-25 years to complete. From the looks of things Chinese companies are fast grabbing up the Oil leases and planning to bring it into China via Rail and Pipeline through Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Yes there was/is a war in Iraq and Afghanistan. But those were the battlefields, the actual war was between China and the USA, and the USA got it's tail whipped in the economic assault. All that remains to be done is for the USA to run back home and lick it's wounds while China walks in and claims it's spoils of victory.

We lost, China won. Now why the hannibal can't we let the people in the region live in peace?

^^^ the story is sad same like the diamond digger. So ladies...everytime you buy diamond remember them... and make dua hopefully they bring in legally.

format_quote Originally Posted by syilla

^^^ the story is sad same like the diamond digger. So ladies...everytime you buy diamond remember them... and make dua hopefully they bring in legally.

Diamonds are a very big pet peeve of mine. Periodically I used to buy uncut diamonds in Africa for investment purposes. Then one day I got talking with an African friend and what he said turned me against diamonds. His simple words "Each caret of diamond you hold only means at least one African died in poverty"


Sadly I think the gemstones in Afghanistan will bring the same sorrow to the people of Afghanistan. A stone they will risk their lives for will bring them a penny of profit and make thousands of dollars for some fat, cigar chomping bigot, sitting behind a desk in Amsterdam.

format_quote Originally Posted by Italianguy

Those diamonds are called "Blood Diamonds"(the ones from Africa) many jewelry stores still buy them from the black market

True. The gem trade especially diamonds is a very bloody market. But, the gigantic mark up is a strong incentive I used to get small uncut diamonds, stones roughly 1/4 to 1/2 caret for less then $10 a caret in bulk and resale for up to $500 per caret depending on quality, but usually averaged $70 per caret, still a strong incentive. Back, in those days it was more of a gray market rather than a black market. While techically only the DeBeers company was legaly permitted to sell African Diamonds, there was sort of a closed eye to individuals that got them from sources away from the active mines.

But it was "Blood Diamonds" as there was a potential death penalty for any Native African to sell diamonds.

I think similar things will happen in Afghanistan if they try to profit from the gem stones. While diamonds are the dirtiest of the Jewelry trade, all gemstones have somewhat nasty and unfair paths before they get set in a pretty ring.