Mining in Afghanistan

An Afghan Lapis Lazuli Block

Mining in Afghanistan was controlled by the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, prior to the August 15th takeover by the Taliban. It is headquartered in Kabul with regional offices in other parts of the country. Afghanistan has over 1,400 mineral fields,[1][2][3] containing barite, chromite, coal, copper, gold, iron ore, lead, natural gas, petroleum, precious and semi-precious stones, salt, sulfur, lithium, talc, and zinc, among many other minerals.[1][4][5] Gemstones include high-quality emeralds, lapis lazuli, red garnet and ruby. According to a joint study by The Pentagon and the United States Geological Survey, Afghanistan has an estimated US$1 trillion[6] of untapped minerals.

There are six lapis mines in Afghanistan, the largest being located in Badakhshan province. There are around 12 copper mines in the country, including the Aynak copper deposit located in Logar province.[7] Afghanistan's significance from an energy standpoint stems from its geographical position as a transit route for oil, natural gas, and electricity exports from Central Asia to South Asia and the Arabian Sea. This potential includes the construction of the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline gas pipeline.[8] The first Afghan oil production began in late 2012.[9]

  1. ^ a b "Market Prospects" (PDF). Afghanistan Investment Support Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Minerals in Afghanistan" (PDF). Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  3. ^ Latifi, Ali M. (2013). "Afghan mines among world's most dangerous". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  4. ^ Kuo, Chin S. "The Mineral Industry Of Afghanistan" (PDF). Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  5. ^ Trakimavicius, Lukas (22 March 2021). "Is China really eyeing Afghanistan's mineral resources?". Energy Post. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Afghanistan's resources could make it the richest mining region on earth however due to the war lasting over 30 years their mining has failed". The Independent. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  7. ^ "Afghanistan Home to 24 Precious Mineral Varieties". Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  8. ^ Afghanistan: Work on Asia gas pipeline begins. Al Jazeera English. February 24, 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Afghanistan Strikes Oil for the first time (NATO in Afghanistan) was invoked but never defined (see the help page).