The Afghan gold mine not as good as announced before

June 17, 2010 — The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials. Ann Marlowe says that despite the finding of minerals, it would take 15-20 years under the best circumstances to actually extract the natural resources.