KABUL (PAN): Afghanistan's untapped mineral wealth is worth at least $3 trillion -- a triple of a US estimate released last week, the Ministry of Mines announced on Thursday.
Afghanistan has huge natural energy and mineral resources including iron, copper, coal, gold, oil, gas and lithium which have enormous potential for economic development, said the Mines Minister, Wahidullah Shahrani, who is due to visit UK next week to attract foreign investments for a sustainable use of the massive natural resources.
KABUL (PAN): Afghanistan will invite 200 international companies to bid for the extraction of its $1 trillion worth of minerals, the country's mines minister reportedly said.
WASHINGTON (PAN): Turning Afghanistan's untapped mineral deposits into actual wealth could take years, the US has said in an attempt to tone down expectations of a gold rush in the country.
KABUL (PAN): The recently discovered mines of coal and metal in Bamyan and copper in Daikundi are worth $300 billions, said the minister for mines Ibrahim Adil on Thursday.
The minister told a press conference after paying visit to the two provinces where the three mines have recently been discovered that Afghanistans mineral reserves have increased many times with new discoveries in recent years.
The minister said the mines were discovered by Afghan mine experts who were accompanying him in the visit.
KABUL (PAN): Almost 150 different mine excavation agreements have been signed with private sector in the last two years the number would increase in the current year, the minister for mines declared on Sunday.
Speaking at a news conference attended by representatives from private sector at Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Muhammad Ibrahim Adil said coal, gold, salt, precious stones, construction materials and copper mines mainly in northern and central part of the country have been offered to private sector.
PUL-I-ALAM, Dec 18 (Pajhwok Afghan News): People in central Logar province accused security forces were smuggling precious stones and other natural resources, but provincial officials termed the accusation baseless.
Residents in Logar province said there were about 20 different areas where precious mines and stone were extracted and were smuggled to Pakistan.
Muhammad Zahir Siddiqui, head of information and culture department of the province told Pajhwok Afghan News in some areas armed men detonate the mines.
