The rapid decline of Afghanistan by Taliban fighters, two decades after the United States invaded the country, has triggered a political and humanitarian crisis. Security experts are asking: What will happen to the country 's vast untapped mineral wealth ?
Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world. But in 2010, U.S. military officials and geologists discovered that the country, located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia, had nearly $ 1 trillion worth of mineral deposits that could dramatically transform its economic prospects.
Mineral supplies such as iron, copper and gold are scattered throughout the provinces. There are also rare earth minerals and, perhaps most importantly, what could be one of the largest lithium deposits in the world - an essential but scarce ingredient for batteries and other vital technologies for dealing with the climate crisis.
Security challenges, lack of infrastructure and severe droughts have prevented the extraction of the most valuable minerals in the past. That is unlikely to change any time soon under Taliban control. However, there is interest from countries including China, Pakistan and India, which may try to get involved despite the chaos.
