[THS] U.S. Discovers Nearly $1 Trillion in Afghan Mineral Deposits

[The Harder Stuff in news and commentary]

The New York Times
Sun, June 13, 2010 -- 9:22 PM ET
-----

U.S. Discovers Nearly $1 Trillion in Afghan Mineral Deposits

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.

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?emc=na