Kabul
- Afghanistan has been famous for centuries for having mines and wealth with which it can get rid of poverty and dependence on the outside, but the country has been facing great challenges for four decades in prospecting in these mines and extracting wealth from them across the length and breadth of the country.
The Afghan Ministry of Mines says that it has asked international companies to invest in Afghanistan, prevented random mining in mines, and imposed a heavy fine on anyone who was proven to be involved in exploration without an official license from the new Afghan government.
A source in the Ministry of Mines told Al Jazeera Net, "Official reports confirm that indiscriminate mining from 2001 to 2021 cost the Afghan government $300 million annually, and now the Taliban have placed strict restrictions on mining, and it has actually stopped in some places."
Afghanistan has more than 1,400 mines of precious stones and mineral resources throughout the country.
Afghanistan has been known as a source of precious and semi-precious stones, and the history of geological survey and mining in the country goes back a few centuries.
Abdul Kabir Zadran, a professor at Kabul University, told Al Jazeera Net, "The history of mining in Afghanistan goes back 6,000 years, and exploration in a copper mine in Logar Province (south of the capital, Kabul) confirms this to us."
Before the beginning of the 19th century, the British Army made regular efforts to assess the mineral resources in the area, and since then various geological teams have been researching the areas along the Silk Road.
Ahmed Zia, head of the Department of Maps in the Ministry of Mines, told Al Jazeera Net, "In 1955 a new era of geological studies began, and Kabul University devoted a section to these studies, and the ministry has been working for 30 years to conduct an organized survey of those areas that contain mines and mineral wealth throughout Afghanistan and submit scientific reports. to the Afghan government with the aim of attracting foreign investment, but the security situation prevented this.”
German, Italian, and French geologists were present in Afghanistan in the early 19th century for geological activities, and helped with the mapping.
Abdul Qadeer Mutfi, a former spokesman for the Ministry of Mines, told Al Jazeera Net, "Geological maps have been developed, and we have recorded that Afghanistan has more than 1,400 mines for precious stones and mineral wealth throughout the country, and this era is the most important stage in mining exploration so far, and many reports have resulted in the emergence of mines and natural resources.
huge fortunes
Contrary to the stereotype that some believe that Afghanistan is a chain of mountains and rugged spaces, its lands preserve huge wealth that contains a stockpile of precious stones and mines valued at about a trillion dollars, and this gives Afghans hope for a bright future, but the security tension prevents them from benefiting from these wealth, and since 4 decades Armed groups are working to extract the stocks of these mines to buy weapons and military equipment.
A source in the Afghan Ministry of Mines told Al Jazeera Net, "For 4 decades, the central government has not been able to explore in the mines located in the states of Kunar, Panjshir and Badakhshan, because they were located in areas controlled by groups opposed to the government, a challenge that the central governments did not overcome, even the Taliban did not You can put an end to what is happening now in the state of Kunar and Panjshir."
The Afghan states can be divided according to the presence of gemstone mines. In the Afghan province of Badakhshan there are lapis lazuli, and in Panjshir there are emeralds, and in the southern states there is agate, especially in Helmand.
"There are more than 10 agate mines in Helmand Province (southern Afghanistan), and I have been working for 8 years in this region to search for precious stones," gem dealer Nissim Khan told Al Jazeera Net.
The most important characteristic of the provinces of Helmand, Ghazni, Herat and Nimroz is the exploration of lithium, and its value is estimated at 3 trillion dollars.
Issa Khan Ander, a former official at the presidential palace, says to Al Jazeera Net, "Geologists and researchers working in the US Army conducted a survey in 2010, and estimated the value of lithium resources in 3 Afghan states at $3 trillion, and since that time foreign media focused on Afghanistan's mineral wealth and competition began. Among the major exploration companies, but the security situation is the main reason for not taking advantage of these mines.”
Lithium ores in Afghanistan were first discovered by former Soviet miners in the 1980s, and they kept it a secret and announced it in 2004, because a team of American geologists found documents and papers in the Afghan Geological Survey library.
Ghulam Nabi Karkar, head of the archives department at the Afghan Ministry of Mines, told Al Jazeera Net, "Since the seventies of the last century, Russian experts began research studies in the mining sector and were providing a copy of their studies to previous governments, but during the era of former Afghan President Najibullah and after the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan, we realized They were giving us a different picture of their studies, and this is confirmed by the current studies of the mines and wealth in Afghanistan.”
It also emerged when a team of American geologists found a set of ancient charts and data in the Afghan Geological Survey Library in Kabul.
The US Geological Survey has begun aerial surveys of Afghan mineral resources using advanced gravity and magnetometer equipment on the P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft in many areas of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan contains 400 types of marble and 5 gold mines, the most famous of which is in the province of Baghlan in the north (Al-Jazeera)
rare metals
Based on extensive research that took 10 years, the researchers concluded that Afghanistan possesses 60 million tons of copper, 2.2 billion tons of iron ore, and 1.4 million tons of rare metal elements, in addition to the large mines of aluminium, gold, silver, zinc and mercury.
Preliminary analyzes show that Ghazni contains the largest reserves of lithium at 21 million tons.
Afghanistan contains 5 gold mines, the most famous of which is in the province of Baghlan in the north, and 400 types of marble.
Experts believe that lithium mining in Afghanistan alone can generate billions of dollars in wealth for the country, and that transforms Afghanistan from a poor country in need of foreign aid to a rich and developed country, but the basic condition for mining, which requires large investments and large mechanisms, is to provide security and political stability. in Afghanistan in order to pave the way for mining.
Among the most prominent elements of the mineral wealth for which Afghanistan is famous is copper, as it has the second largest reserves in the world with an estimated value of $88 billion, as well as about 2.2 billion tons of iron ore.
The Chinese company "MCC" was able to obtain an exploration contract in this mine, which is located in the state of Logar (south of the capital, Kabul), and due to instability and the ongoing war, mining in the mine was slow and eventually stopped.
Geologist Javed Karimi told Al Jazeera Net, "If Afghanistan maintains calm for a few years, and develops infrastructure, it may become one of the richest countries in the region in a decade as well as security, necessary infrastructure and training of workers, and it takes an average of 16 years to discover Mine deposits to start production.
Among the most prominent elements of the mineral wealth for which Afghanistan is famous is copper, as it has the second largest reserves in the world, with an estimated value of $88 billion, as well as about 2.2 billion tons of iron ore.
Mechanisms for organizing work
A source in the office of the Minister of Mines Shahabuddin Dollar told Al Jazeera Net, "The Cabinet approved a mechanism regulating the extraction of marble from 3 mines in Wardak and the Lazurite mine in Badakhshan, and the decision came to avoid corruption in the mining sector."
The new Afghan government is considering building a special force to secure the mines, due to the spread of illegal mining throughout Afghanistan.
A source in the Afghan interior told Al Jazeera Net, "Over the past two decades, warlords and militants have collected revenues from two thousand mining areas in Afghanistan, and the Taliban has been able to put an end in many areas, and great efforts are required. Some mines are located in mountainous areas and witness security tension such as Panjshir." and Conner State.
Before the Taliban came to power, Afghanistan was making only $160 million selling gemstones annually.
A former official in the Anti-Corruption Committee says to Al Jazeera Net, "40% of the mine revenues were going to the pockets of warlords in Afghanistan, and what happened in the Kiran and Manjan district in Badakhshan province is clear evidence of corruption and theft. There was a strategic partnership between warlords and parliamentarians." to plunder these riches.
For its part, the American magazine "The Diplomat" said in a report published last January, "Afghanistan's riches in precious metals are seen as a way to get rid of poverty and dependence on the outside, but the country faces major challenges in extracting these precious metals. Hidden Treasures.
In this report, writer Franz Marti says that the mountains of Afghanistan stretching across the country contain a stock of precious stones and minerals, valued at about a trillion dollars, and this gives Afghans hope for a bright future.