"The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.
The previously unknown deposits -- including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium -- are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.
An internal Pentagon memo, for example, states that Afghanistan could become the 'Saudi Arabia of lithium,' a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys."
James Risen reports for the New York Times June 13, 2010.
The initially unnamed officials sourcing the story include the general, David Petraus, running the Afghan war. Other news reports say the discoveries were not made by the U.S., as the New York Times reports, are not new, and may be hyped to justify the floundering U.S. war in Afghanistan.
SEE ALSO:
"Pentagon 'Discovers' Huge Lithium Deposit in Afganistan" (TreeHugger)
"Afghanistan's 'Vast Riches Of Minerals' Highlighted By Pentagon" (Huffington Post)
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