Afghanistan's USD 3 trillion worth of natural assets in Taliban's control

China already Afghanistans largest foreign investor is seen as likely to lead the race to help the country build an efficient mining system to meet its insatiable needs for mineralsA followup report by the Afghan government in 2017 estimated that Kabuls new mineral wealth may be as high as 3 trillion including fossil fuels To date the Taliban have profited from the opium and heroin trade Now the militant group effectively rules a country with valuable resources that China needs to grow its economy DW reported In 2010 a report by US military experts and geologists estimated that Afghanistan one of the worlds poorest countries was sitting on nearly 1 trillion in mineral wealth thanks to huge iron copper lithium cobalt and rareearth depositsLithium which is used in batteries for electric cars smartphones and laptops is facing unprecedented demand with annual growth of 20 per cent compared to just 56 per cent a few years ago The Pentagon memo called Afghanistan the Saudi Arabia of lithium and projected that the countrys lithium deposits could equal Bolivias mdash one of the worlds largestCopper too is benefiting from the postCovid19 global economic recovery mdash up 43 per cent over the past year More than a quarter of Afghanistans future mineral wealth could be realised by expanding copper mining activitiesWhile the West has threatened not to work with the Taliban after it effectively seized control of Kabul over the weekend China Russia and Pakistan are lining up to do business with the TalibanAs the manufacturer of almost half of the worlds industrial goods China is stoking much of the global demand for commodities Beijing mdash already Afghanistans largest foreign investor mdash is seen as likely to lead the race to help the country build an efficient mining system to meet its insatiable needs for mineralsTaliban control comes at a time when there is a supply crunch for these minerals for the foreseeable future and China needs them Michael Tanchum a senior fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy told DWChina is already in position in Afghanistan to mine these minerals Chinese staterun media meanwhile described how Afghanistan can now benefit from the countrys massive Belt and Road Initiative BRI mdash Beijings controversial infrastructure plan to build road rail and sea routes through Asia to EuropeOne of the Asian powerhouses mining giants the Metallurgical Corporation of China MCC already has a 30year lease to mine copper in Afghanistans barren Logar province the report saidAfghanistans neighbour Pakistan is also set to benefit from Afghanistans minerals wealth The Islamabad government which supported the Talibans first takeover of Afghanistan in 1996 has maintained ties with the group and has been accused by the US of harbouring Taliban militantsPakistan is also set to be a major beneficiary of Chinas infrastructure investment mdash often dubbed the New Silk Road Pakistan has a vested interest as the materials could potentially be transported along the commercial transit route from Pakistan to China Tanchum told DW adding that a deal with the Taliban would give Islamabad the incentive to support a stable security environment in the regionThe Afghan ministry of mines and petroleum has too estimated the mines and natural resources of Afghanistan worth 3 trillion Officials in the ministry said that they have found 1400 spots possessing various types of natural resources such as natural gas coal salt uranium copper gold and silver Afghan media reports saidNatural gas is mostly found in the northern provinces of Balkh Shebirghan and Saripol which has been estimated from 100 to 500 billion cubic meters In the latest investigation conducted by NASA there are over one hundred zones of oil and gas in AfghanistanMedia reports said most of the investigations regarding oilrich regions have been conducted in five zones of Afghanistan namely two of them in the north of Amo River one in Helmand province one in Herat and one in Kato district of Paktika provinceMeanwhile in the latest report of British Petroleum the capacity of Afghanistans oil has been estimated to be from 250 to 300 barrels per day which enables Afghanistan to earn nine billion and one hundred million dollars annually from the resourceOfficials in De Afghanistan Bank central bank say that Afghanistan needs from six up to seven billion dollars for its economic growth for which the natural resources are considered to be a good source of economic growth In 2012 150 thousand barrels of oil were to be excavated from the wells which would then be increased to 300 thousand barrels in 2013Also ReadTaliban searched closed Indian consulates in Kandahar HeratMeanwhile oil resources have also been found in Herat Shiberghan Maimana Kunduz Taloqan Saripol and Helmand provinces The coal resources of Afghanistan are estimated to be from 100 to 400 million tonnes Coal resources have been confirmed to be in Baghlan province Karkar mine Kunduz province Ash Pushta Herat province Karukh and Balkh province DaraesofGold mines have been excavated and used traditionally washing gold The method has been used in Darwaz district of Badakhshan province QalaeZal district and the ravines of Raq and Dadung of Kunduz province The gold mines have also been confirmed in Badakhshan Kandahar and Zabul provincesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever