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. 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100614/ts_ynews/ynews_ts2565

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.