1 trillion & counting ...

Afghanistan is a treasure trove of rare earths and mineral resources countries all over the world are lusting for, thanks to Russia doing the surveys back in the 60's and 70's proving the treasure trove does exist, a fact China is counting on in terms of telling the Taliban they are the only country able to get access to said resources to such a degree that will generate enough revenue for both entities to thrive, something the US had no concept of doing in it's never ending quest to feed the maw of the MIC.

Deep beneath the ground in one of the world’s poorest countries sits at least $1 trillion of untapped mineral resources, according to a report published by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum [PDF]. The South Asian country of 38 million people is estimated to hold more than 2.2 billion tonnes of iron ore, 1.3 billion tonnes of marble and 1.4 million tonnes of rare earth minerals.

According to Scott Montgomery, a geologist who has studied the extent of Afghanistan’s resources, the country requires a minimum of seven to 10 years to develop large-scale mining to become a major source of revenue.

and ...

1 Trillion and counting indeed.