How long do you think the US has known about the trillion in minerals

[panader0]

in Afghanistan? The announcement makes me think we'll be there for a long time, so the money doesn't fall into the "wrong" hands, like the Afghani people.

[DireStrike]

1. Probably since the Soviets found it in the 80s.

At least.

[dipsydoodle]

4. ditto

I don't even understand why this is being discussed now.

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. I think I understand why

The Gulf is destroyed but that's okay since there's this shiny thing in the Middle East :)

[TheKentuckian]

9. Yeah, I was just going to guess the late 70's but in any event long before we went

Satellites would have picked up hints.

This is certainly not a surprise.

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Smirk." - xCommander AWOL & Dickie 'Five-Military-Deferments' Cheney (R)

"All your minerals are belong to us. Smirk."

- RepubliCorpsters

[woodsprite]

I find your sig pic disturbing - I can't tell if it's GW or Jeb. ;) n/t

[ProgressiveVictory]

3. Part of me wants to say for a while.

the other part wants to say not long, just for the fact if we did know about it for a while wouldn't we have set up a base right next to it or something like that?

[tekisui]

5. You nailed it.

They have known for years. Since 2005 or near that.

The timing is suspect. I think you are right. We can't let the evil Taliban get near that kind of wealth!!111!!

Anything to keep the war going. The public has turned. We no longer support the war. We know it is a lost cause. Coalition members are leaving. We are done with it, so new excuses for staying need to be trotted out.

[unhappycamper]

8. Actually a report was published in 2002:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8552991

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. I got an email last night tracing it back to 1995

[tekisui]

11. Well, then. The bottom line is this isn't news and it isn't

a major development. It is just a PR campaign.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. Oh definitely

It's also strangely ironic. The Gulf of Mexico is being killed but that's okay now since we found treasure in the middle east;)

[blm]

6. Pump truth serum into Poppy Bush if you want THAT answer.

or....hey....waterboarding isn't extreme torture, is it?

[msongs]

7. since the moment obama found out afghanistan is the grave yard of foreign empires nt

[marmar]

12. Since these cretins emerged on the political scene many decades ago.......

[HughMoran]

13. Soon this topic will be 9/11 forum material

The paranoid conspiracy theories only took seconds to hatch.

Somebody shoot me :(

[madrchsod]

14. at least by 2002

[Ichingcarpenter]

15. Kipling and The Man who would be King told of

untold riches to be found in Afghanistan which were legendary when Kipling lived in India/Pakistan.

.
The country has extensive deposits of barite, chromite, coal, copper, gold, iron ore, lead, natural gas, petroleum, precious and semiprecious stones, salt, sulfur, talc, and zinc. Precious and semiprecious stones include high-quality emerald, lapis lazuli, and ruby. plus oil gas lithium eitc.........

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. Time to watch that movie again!

One of my faves!!

[Donnachaidh]

16. Just posted -- they KNEW

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/06/no-the-military-didnt-just-discover-an-afghan-mineral-motherlode/#more-26006

[librechik]

17. they've verifiably known since 07 (probably earlier)

I wonder how that affected policy, i.e., we have mo9re military/contractors in Afghanistan now than in Iraq.
They sent the Army's business development team from Iraq to Afghanistan in 07 if IIRC from the article.

It's almost a rhetorical question.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. Osama bin Lithium has been captured.

[donheld]

22. Many years