'This Is Nuts': Trump Fumes to Generals That US Should Plunder Afghan Minerals

[goldenequity]

Why would you invade and not exploit?




'This Is Nuts': Trump Fumes to Generals That US Should Plunder Afghan Minerals




In a recent situation room meeting with generals and top national security advisors, President Donald Trump reportedly compared war policy to renovating a restaurant and complained that the U.S. isn't doing enough to exploit Afghanistan's mineral wealth.

This is according to senior administration officials who leaked details of the "tense" meeting to NBC News.

Trump also complained that the U.S. is "losing" the war in Afghanistan—which is approaching its 16th year—and said he was contemplating firing Gen. John Nicholson, the commander of American forces in the country, who he has not met.

Here's how NBC summarized the conversation:

Over nearly two hours in the situation room, according to the officials, Trump complained about NATO allies, inquired about the United States getting a piece of Afghanistan's mineral wealth, and repeatedly said the top U.S. general there should be fired. He also startled the room with a story that seemed to compare their advice to that of a paid consultant who cost a tony New York restaurateur profits by offering bad advice.

As Common Dreams reported last week, Trump has long been enticed by the prospect of plundering Afghanistan's untapped mineral reserves. In the meeting with his national security advisors, NBC noted, Trump reiterated his wishes and fumed that China is "making money off of Afghanistan's estimated $1 trillion in rare minerals while American troops are fighting the war."

Trump also "expressed frustration that his advisers tasked with figuring out how the U.S. can help American businesses get rights to those minerals were moving too slowly," NBC reported.

Commentators have in the past argued that Trump's desire to exploit a war-torn country's mineral reserves amounts to a longing for "colonialism."

The response to leaked details of Trump's meeting with military officials was of a similar tone.

[goldenequity]

Essentially shaming them for not taking 'advantage'.


First thing that came to mind?
Girl raped twice in one night at UK railway station


Not to worry donald.
The NATO/poppy ratlines are doing splendid.

[enhanced_deficit]

Stealing resources of nations being freedom spreaded might be wrong morally... but to be devil's advocate, are US taxpayers alone morally responsible for paying for $14 Trillions costs of freedom projects in Afghanistan/Iraq/Benghazi/Syria etc when they may hav oil/minerals?


On related note, he also said this in same meeting:

Trump, frustrated by Afghan war, suggests firing US commander

• The U.S. military was allowing Washington to lose the war in Afghanistan, President Trump recently complained
• The president's doubts over U.S. strategy could lead to the firing of Army General John Nicholson, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan

President Donald Trump's doubts about the war in Afghanistan has led to a delay in completing a new U.S. strategy in South Asia, skepticism that included a suggestion that the U.S. military commander in the region be fired, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.
During a July 19 meeting in the White House Situation Room, Trump demanded that his top national security aides provide more information on what one official called "the end-state" in a country that the United States has spent 16 years fighting against the Taliban with no end in sight.


From: Breaking: Trump considers withdrawal from Afghanistan

[goldenequity]

The short absolute answer is yes. Tax the absolute $#@! out of them.

Interventions and invasions would stop immediately.

[goldenequity]

The 'moral' part is more complex. Speaking for myself, yes.. I feel morally responsible. It makes me sick.

[timosman]

This is BS. We are plundering these countries off the books all the time and now Trump is asking show me the money and is made to be a bad guy. Pure comedy.

[UWDude]

according to sources....

[timosman]

[timosman]

Sorry Donald, we won't let you upset the apple cart.

[RJB]

Opium seems to be OK to plunder.

[nikcers]

Opium seems to be OK to plunder.

OPM is OK to plunder too

[ILUVRP]

i thought trump was a financial expert , we are spending at least $25 billion a year and losing great american lives .

forget afgh and their resources and get the hell out of there , that will save more than anything .

[Zippyjuan]

Trump reiterated his wishes and fumed that China is "making money off of Afghanistan's estimated $1 trillion in rare minerals while American troops are fighting the war."

http://thediplomat.com/2017/01/the-s...n-afghanistan/

The Story Behind China's Long-Stalled Mine in Afghanistan

Nine years after Chinese companies took control of Mes Aynak, copper extraction has yet to start.

One-third of the Afghan population lives below the poverty line (earning less than $2 a day) and a further 50 percent are barely above this line. With a per capita GDP of only $595, Afghans hoped to see $1 billion in annual revenue and at least 8,500 direct jobs and more than 30,000 indirect jobs from the mining sector by 2017. The $1 billion in annual revenue was expected to come from the Mes Aynak copper mine ($350 million) and from the Hajigak iron ore ($550 million), with another $150 million from hydrocarbons and gemstones. This goal was set in the first and second National Priority Programs (NPP) of the infrastructure development cluster, namely the “National and Regional Resource Corridors Program” and the “National Extractive Industries Excellence Program.” The two NPPs were part of the 22 NPP packages that were designed and approved under the Kabul Process in 2010 and reconfirmed at the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan in 2012. However, the $1 billion revenue target now looks unrealistic in 2017 and perhaps not even attainable by 2020. The problems in the Mes Aynak mine provide an illustrative case study of the difficulties.

The year 2017 marked the ninth anniversary of the Mes Aynak concession, which was awarded in May 2008 to two Chinese state-owned companies, the China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) and the Jiangxi Copper Company Limited. The consortium later called itself MCC-JCL Aynak Minerals (MJAM) to formally operate the project. Mes Aynak mine is said to be the second largest copper ore body in the world, with the deposit estimated to contain 5.5 million metric tons of high-grade copper ore. The contract awarded to MJAM is worth $2.9 billion. It stipulates that copper production will commence in the fifth year of the 30-year lease, with the extracting, smelting, and processing of the raw copper to take place in Afghanistan. The contract also foresees the construction of a 400 MW coal-fired power plant and the building of a railway from Hairtan to Torkham dry ports. However, little has been done on the ground and MJAM has reportedly asked for substantial modifications to the contract.

Apparently, the 400 MW coal-fired power plant option has been cancelled by MJAM, stating that their survey found that insufficient coal resources were available in Ishpushta. MJAM also argued that phosphate, which is an essential component for smelting and processing (neutralizing the sulfuric acid) copper, is not readily available inside Afghanistan. However, my ex-colleagues in the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum told me that some potential igneous phosphate resources at Khan Neshin in Helmand have been identified yet this requires further exploration by MJAM. The main argument by MJAM is that if copper cannot be smelted and processed in Afghanistan, then the mine does not need the 400 MW coal-fired power plant.

More at link.