U.S. finally admits Afghanistan is a gold mine,...literally.
• N.Y. TimesThe 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.
Or their satellites had already told them that by 2000 sweetening the invasion, occupation and exploitation plan. Nothing like a good harvest to reap what others have sown.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100614/ts_ynews/ynews_ts2565
It has been alleged there are a Trillion dollars in mineral deposits in Afghanistan. That is gross before cost of recovery are deducted. Meanwhile U.S. Taxpayers are spending 70 billion a year to fight the Taliban. It appears U.S. Taxpayers will get stuck with the costs of the war and the mining companies will keep the profits offshore from mining Afghanistan's mineral deposits. Afghanistan's mineral deposits will do nothing to help the American economy but benefit a few companies at the expense of U.S. taxpayers.