What Are Afghanistan's Untapped Minerals and Resources?

A View of a gold mine in Nor Aaba, Takhar province, Afghanistan. (Reuters)
A View of a gold mine in Nor Aaba, Takhar province, Afghanistan. (Reuters)
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What Are Afghanistan's Untapped Minerals and Resources?

A View of a gold mine in Nor Aaba, Takhar province, Afghanistan. (Reuters)
A View of a gold mine in Nor Aaba, Takhar province, Afghanistan. (Reuters)

Returning to power in Afghanistan after a 20-year absence, the Taliban have regained control of natural resources that a former mines minister of the country once said could be worth up to $3 trillion.

That estimate was made toward the end of the last commodities supercycle in 2010 and could be worth even more now, after a global economic recovery from the coronavirus shock sent prices for everything from copper to lithium soaring this year.

Afghanistan is rich in resources like copper, gold, oil, natural gas, uranium, bauxite, coal, iron ore, rare earths, lithium, chromium, lead, zinc, gemstones, talc, sulphur, travertine, gypsum and marble.

Below is a breakdown of some of Afghanistan's key resources, as estimated by the country's mining ministry and the US government, as well as their potential monetary value for the war-ravaged Afghan economy if security challenges can be overcome.

Copper
A 2019 report by Afghanistan's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum put the country's copper resource at almost 30 million tons.

An Afghan mining sector roadmap published by the ministry in the same year said there were another 28.5 million tons of copper in undiscovered porphyry deposits. That would bring the total close to 60 million tons, worth hundreds of billions of dollars at current prices as demand for the metal grows.

A consortium of Metallurgical Corp of China (MCC) and Jiangxi Copper took on a 30-year lease for the largest copper project in the country, Mes Aynak, in 2008.

This giant asset is still to be developed but the 11.08 million tons of copper MCC estimates it to hold would be worth over $100 billion at current London Metal Exchange prices.

Other metals
The 2019 report also said Afghanistan had more than 2.2 billion tons of steelmaking raw material iron ore, worth over $350 billion at current market prices.

Gold resources were much more modest at an estimated 2,700 kg, worth almost $170 million, while the Afghan ministry also said base metals aluminum, tin, lead and zinc were "located in multiple areas of the country."

Lithium and rare earths
An internal US Department of Defense memo in 2010 reportedly described Afghanistan as "the Saudi Arabia of lithium," meaning it could be as crucial for global supply of the battery metal as the Middle Eastern country is for crude oil.

The comparison was made at a time lithium was already widely used in batteries for electronics devices but before it had become apparent how much lithium would be needed for electric vehicle (EV) batteries and the world's low-carbon transition.

A 2017/18 report from the US Geological Survey notes Afghanistan has deposits of spodumene, a lithium-bearing mineral, but does not provide tonnage estimates, while the 2019 Afghan report makes no mention of lithium at all.

The 2019 mines ministry report does, however, say Afghanistan holds 1.4 million tons of rare earth minerals, a group of 17 elements prized for their applications in consumer electronics, as well as in military equipment.

Oil and gas
With hydrocarbon-rich Iran and Turkmenistan to its west, Afghanistan harbors around 1.6 billion barrels of crude oil, 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and another 500 million barrels of natural gas liquids.

That's according to the 2019 Afghan report, which cited a joint US-Afghan assessment, and implies a value of $107 billion for the crude oil alone at current market prices.

"Most of the undiscovered crude oil is in the Afghan-Tajik Basin and most of the undiscovered natural gas is in the Amu Darya Basin," the report said.

Gemstones
Afghanistan has historically been a major source of lapis lazuli, a deep blue, semi-precious stone that has been mined in the country's northern Badakhshan province for thousands of years, as well as other gemstones such as rubies and emeralds.

The finest grades of lapis lazuli can fetch up to $150 per carat, according to the 2019 Afghan report, which notes, however, that the majority of gemstones mined in the country leave the country illegally, mostly to Peshawar in Pakistan, denying Afghanistan vital revenue.



In Northern Syria, Displaced Owners Return to Houses with No Roofs

 A view of damaged and looted homes in a neighborhood in Maarat al-Numan, on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP)
A view of damaged and looted homes in a neighborhood in Maarat al-Numan, on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP)
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In Northern Syria, Displaced Owners Return to Houses with No Roofs

 A view of damaged and looted homes in a neighborhood in Maarat al-Numan, on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP)
A view of damaged and looted homes in a neighborhood in Maarat al-Numan, on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP)

After a decade of war and displacement, many Syrians are returning to their homes, only to find them looted and roofless.

In towns like Maarat al-Numan and Kfar Nabl in northern Syria, residents who fled years ago have returned since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad but are now confronting the harsh reality of widespread theft and destruction.

Strategically located on the route between the cities of Aleppo and Damascus, Maarat al-Numan became a touchpoint in the Syrian civil war.

Assad's forces seized the area back from opposition control in 2020. After that, groups affiliated with Assad looted houses and demolished some of them to extract valuable materials and furniture, human rights groups said. Steel and wires were taken out of rooftops to be sold.

An aerial video of the area shows rows of houses that are still standing but with their roofs missing.

Anmar Zaatour, a resident who left in 2019, said he came back in 2025 to find his home destroyed.

“There was nowhere to put our children,” he said. "This destruction isn’t from the bombing, it was the military. And it’s not just mine, it’s my neighbors, and friends.”

Zakaria al-Awwad burst into tears of mixed joy and sorrow upon his return to Maarat al-Numan. His house was destroyed, “one of the first ones to get hit,” he said.

“There is no place like home,” he said. “Even if I have to put on a sheet of cloth, it is better than anything else. We have freedom now, and that is priceless.”

Others were more circumspect about the future.

“The problem is, it’s impossible to resume a life without a roof,” said returning resident Hassan Barbesh. “Maarat al-Numan is an impoverished town. It’s a very difficult task to start from scratch.”