China's Thirst For Copper Could Hold Key To Afghanistan's Future

Somewhere beneath the valley floor lies one of the world?s biggest untapped copper deposits, worth up to £44 billion (Photo from Times Online)

From McClatchy:

JALREZ VALLEY, Afghanistan — In this Taliban stronghold in the mountains south of Kabul, the U.S. Army is providing the security that will enable China to exploit one of the world's largest unexploited deposits of copper, earn tens of billions of dollars and feed its voracious appetite for raw materials.

U.S. troops set up bases last month along a dirt track that a Chinese firm is paving as part of a $3 billion project to gain access to the Aynak copper reserves. Some troops made camp outside a compound built for the Chinese road crews, who are about to return from winter break. American forces also have expanded their presence in neighboring Logar province, where the Aynak deposit is.

The U.S. deployment wasn't intended to protect the Chinese investment — the largest in Afghanistan's history — but to strangle Taliban infiltration into the capital of Kabul. But if the mission provides the security that a project to revive Afghanistan's economy needs, the synergy will be welcome.

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Previous News Article: Afghanistan copper deposits worth $88 billion attract Chinese investors -- Times Online

My Comment: We usually think of Afghanistan as an incredibly poor country with no resources. The truth is .... while it is incredibly poor, it is resource rich.

Both of the above articles reveal the true potential of Afghanistan, and what is being lost as many of its citizens continue to suffer.