Nike Ching VOA News August 17, 2021 WASHINGTON – With the U.S. military drawdown in Afghanistan, China says it is ready to move ahead in its relations with the Taliban, but foreign policy experts say Beijing remains apprehensive about what comes next and may not devote a vast security and economic commitment to Afghanistan in
occrp.org: In late 2019, SOS International (SOSi), a Virginia-based company with links to the U.S. military and intelligence apparati, obtained exclusive access to various mines across Afghanistan. As part of the deal, Ghani’s family got a little something on the side. Click here to read more (external link).
Fox Business: Former Trump deputy national security adviser KT McFarland argued Afghanistan is part of China’s plan to expand its global power on FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria” Thursday. Click here to read more (external link).
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 28, 2021 Reid Standish Ajmal Aand Afghan security forces broke up an alleged Chinese espionage ring in December that was operating in Kabul and trying to infiltrate terrorist networks in the country. The Afghan government said little about the issue besides acknowledging the arrests. Beijing publicly denied knowledge of the
Bloomberg: Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. has held talks with Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani on potential mining sector opportunities in the nation, which has struggled to accelerate development of an estimated $1 trillion worth of minerals deposits. Click here to read more (external link).
Pierrepont Johnson III: Afghanistan has a unique opportunity, though one that comes with its own risks – the country’s $3 trillion worth of mining deposits. To date, efforts to harvest Afghanistan’s mineral wealth, which exceeds the GDP of Great Britain, Italy, or India, have largely failed. The threat of the Taliban and extortion from militias,
AA: In a landmark development, Afghanistan has started extracting gas from a newly discovered field in northern Jawzjan province, officials confirmed on Thursday. This is the first time in four decades that natural gas is being extracted in Afghanistan, acting Minister for Mines and Petroleum Enayatullah Momand told state broadcaster RTA Pashto. Click here to
Tolo News: President Ashraf Ghani ordered the termination of two major mining contracts – for Balkhab copper deposit in Sar-e-Pul province and for a gold deposit in Badakshan — during a High Economic Council meeting last week. The order was confirmed by Abdul Qadir Mutfi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum. Finance Ministry spokesman
Al Jazeera: Rich in copper, lithium, talc, marble, gold, uranium and others, Afghanistan’s vast mineral wealth is estimated to exceed one trillion dollars. But according to data, every year the government loses around $300m in revenue from mining. Poor security, the lack of proper legal framework and organisational capacity, as well as corruption, have prevented the development of the sector. Deficient
Khaleej Times: Afghanistan launched on Monday 43 tenders for natural resource projects as part of a global initiative to attract investment into its mineral sector that has assets estimated to be worth $1 trillion. Afghan Minister of Mines and Petroleum Nargis Nehan said 14 tenders would be opened for large-scale projects to international companies through a