Afghanistan to host US$ 1 trillion in untapped mineral resources?

U.S. newspaper “The New York Times” reported on Monday that a group of U.S. geologists and Pentagon officials has discovered vast mineral resources in Afghanistan, which would certainly boost the country’s economy and make the Asian nation a world-class mining country.

"There is stunning potential here," Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the United States Central Command, told the paper. "There are a lot of ifs, of course, but I think potentially it is hugely significant". The geologists discovered nearly US$ 1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, including iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium, according to the report, confirming the speech of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who said last month the mineral resources are a "massive opportunity".

The U.S. survey was hired by the own Afghan government.