US to extract minerals from Afghanistan...

US To Extract Minerals From Afghanistan To ‘Defray Cost Of US Assistance’

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the total value at at least US$1 trillion.

The U.S. military has had its eyes on Afghan mineral deposits for some time. A 2007 Pentagon memo that the New York Times quoted in a 2010 article says that Afghanistan could be the “Saudi Arabia of lithium.”

U.S. Companies are planning on taking a larger role in extracting Afghanistan’s enormous reserves of rare earth minerals. President Donald Trump met with his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani on Thursday.

According to a White House statement, the presidents agreed that the development of Afghan minerals by U.S. companies would “develop materials critical to national security,” as well as “defray some of the costs of United States assistance as Afghans become more self-reliant.”

And because of the Taliban still roaming around, American troops will have to stay indefinitely!

I knew this was coming more than ten years ago, when I read about the wealth of rare minerals Afghanistan possesses. That's the way it usually goes, just as with Germany after the war!
Attack any country and then make the people of that country pay for the invaders' expenses!!! Never mind all the murdered men, women and children.

What a Christian logic!

http://www.mintpressnews.com/us-to-...istan-to-defray-cost-of-us-assistance/232333/

 

Ha.. this has Erik Prince's fingerprints all over it.

Amusing really, how quickly the Americans U-turn back to Afghanistan when there's money to be made, not lives to be saved. Suppose that puts them on par with the Chinese, Russians and Iranians, nothing to do with Christianity it's Mammon...carry on

 

If the Americans were on par with the Chinese, Russians and Iranians, they wouldn't be doing what they're doing. Those three nations are not aggressive. They might have different standards, but they believe in trade. It's our war machine that has 800 bases all over the world, so let's not judge others by ourselves. As for Christianity, the US ceased to be a Christian nation from 1963. That's when prayers were removed from schools, and its been going downhill ever since.

 

I doubt this will come about..Since when does the US military go into the mining business? Trump has grandiose ideas.

The Russians invaded Afghanistan decades ago for these rare earths.

 

so removing braying to mythical sky fairies in public schools cased all this?

Interesting

 

Oh, no!!! Steal the native's natural resources! How barbaric.

 

Nothing like that can happen unless there is an absence of war first. That's not likely.

It's a nice pipe dream though. Countries from all around the world would be competing to set up operations. Afghans, who are desperately poor, would be huge beneficiaries of large scale mining operations.

But it's not going to happen. Maybe someday, but probably not in our lifetimes.

 

Well, they must have left enough for the Americans, who assessed the loot and found it worthwhile to extract. Don't worry, it will not be the army doing the exploration. According to a White House statement, the presidents agreed that the development of Afghan minerals by U.S. companies ....

The army will have to stand guard and fight off the Taliban!

 

I agree.. But, I think the Chinese will ultimately develop it. They have done fairly well in northern Afghanistan.. building a railroad, power plants as well as some mining operations.

 

This makes great sense. If Afghanistan can undercut Chinese rare earths, it could set the stage for significant development and money for the Afghan govt. And it's not like Afghans are going to mine these by themselves.

 

Trump may be disappointed.. There is technology that makes demand for those rare earths far less important (valuable)... and will save billions for industry.

The Afghans are capable of mining it themselves.

 

this evil US war machine with it's 800 bases talk is getting old...China, Russia and Iran wish they had this war machine with it's 800 bases... let's not pretend otherwise

 

There's an old saying: Once the Americans arrive, they are slow to leave."

 

The talk is getting old for you, maybe. The rest of the public needs to know and have an honest discussion about it. It's not covered by Faux News.

 

Yes it is getting old for me, whinging about it is not going to make the US pack up and leave, and let's not pretend Russia, China and Iran would not do the same given the opportunity... in fact were the US to leave all it's bases.. it would very quickly be occupied by either Russia or China, which is exactly what happened in Afghanistan

 

They will probably partner with China.. China has done well in northern Afghanistan building railroads, power plants and mning operations... and the Chinese are Afghanistan's neighbor.

 

I hadn't heard of a replacement for rare earths. Something synthetic?

And no, they aren't capable of mining it themselves. They won't be able to secure the sites or properly exploit it to the greatest profit. Much like the Soviets had issues doing, though for different reasons.

 

I wouldn't be so sure of that. Why would Trump meet with the Afghan president to get his consent to remove the minerals as a token for US's war costs?

So, for having roughly half a million Afghans killed, entitles the Americans to relieve them of their precious minerals!!
Don't they already get enough opium?
I guess, a lousy trillion dollars' worth of minerals is still too good to pass over.








https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_casualties_in_the_war_in_Afghanistan_(2001–present)

 

If it were possible to do, it would be a huge boon to the Afghans. But, in my opinion, it isn't possible with the war going on.

 

But didn't they leave in 2014?

 

You mean our troops? Not all of them. There has been a NATO mission there ever since the combat mission ended. We train and advise the Afghans and carry out counter-terrorism operations.

The war grinds on, Jazz. It's just that it's mostly the taliban against the government.

 

If you have some alternative explanation as to any other manner in which this country became the most powerful and wealthiest country on earth please present it.

Are you willing to sell 95% of what you have, give that money and 95% of ever other dollar you have, and send 95% of any income you make in the future to the United Nations charity funds to do atonement for the past and current sins of the United States that you so greatly benefit from personally along with all other Americans.

 

The OP seems to have discovered the entire human history of countries, city states and clans. National wealth is a matter of national power.

 

Sorry, I have to disappoint you, there is nothing that comes to mind.
Starting right off, the land was stolen, conquered, taken.

Are you willing to sell 95% of what you have, give that money and 95% of ever other dollar you have, and send 95% of any income you make in the future to the United Nations charity funds to do atonement for the past and current sins of the United States that you so greatly benefit from personally along with all other Americans.[/QUOTE]

Sorry, I don't... everything is stolen and looted. The very ground you are stepping on doesn't belong to you.
You owe the million+ slave laborers still their proper wages!
All the countries you have frivolously destroyed you have to still compensate, and bring back or rather pay for all the goods you have looted.
What applies to Germany should also apply to the United States and England etc.

Sorry, I'm not an American!
Yes, I know you give to charity, but usually with strings attached.