And the Taliban wants the revenue from China to help finance the jihad against China and its mass system of muslim concentration camps. The Taliba are tighter than a bulls arse at fly swatting time with the Uighar countries just north but they have been bogged down with the Americans and could not expand in that direction much. Not now.
Those minerals exist. But the idea of mining them has always been a myth. There is no way that anyone is going to build the roads and infrastructure necessary to access the mineral wealth of Afghanistan given the security situation which has persisted for *centuries*. Its a myth. Like the myth of the China Market that has driven history for some time. Doesn't exist for US companies.
What type of idiots plan a school trip to Afghanistan... Dozens of California students, parents stranded in Afghanistan after summer trip abroad https://thehill.com/policy/internat...ozens-of-california-students-parents-stranded Dozens of California students and parents are stranded in Afghanistan after taking a summer trip to the country. More than 20 students and 16 parents from the Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon, Calif., visited Afghanistan on summer vacation. Now they are among thousands of people who are waiting to leave the country amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal that has caused political unrest across the nation, according to the Los Angeles Times. Cajon Valley Superintendent David Miyashiro alerted school board members on Tuesday that he would be meeting with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) to discuss the situation, the Times noted. Miyashiro told the news outlet that the families traveled to Afghanistan on special visas for U.S. military service and that the school district was able to provide government officials with information on the families as they work to locate them. The stranded students reportedly attend different schools within the school district. Mike Serban, who works with refugee families in the district and heads the Family and Children Engagement program, was the first person to hear about the students’ predicament. Serban contacted to Miyashiro last week and told him that multiple families had reached out to him concerned that their students would lose out on classroom instruction due to being in Afghanistan, according to the Times. “Congressman Issa and his staff are working diligently to determine the facts on the ground, any bureaucratic barriers that can be removed, and the best ways to help those stranded leave Afghanistan and return home safely. We won’t stop until we have answers and action,” an Issa spokesperson informed Miyashiro in an email, the Times reported. Cajon Valley School Board President Tamara Otero told the Times that the students and their families had plans to fly out of Afghanistan and had already purchased tickets. “But, unfortunately, they were not able to get to the airport," Otero said. “The biggest concern is that the Taliban closed the airport,” Otero added. “We are so worried about our students that are stuck there. We’ll do the best we can to get them out.” Over the weekend, the United States military reported that it had been forced to find alternative routes to Kabul's international airport as ISIS-K posed a threat to citizens and Afghan allies. Cajon Valley School Board member Jo Alegria said that the students had planned to return home before the start of the new school year, which commenced on Aug. 17, according to the Times.
Fwiw... it does appear that we are pouring massive numbers of troops into Kabul. This shot is an evacuation plane full of National Guard troops inbound to Kabul on August 23, 2021:
Yes. And ditto for the much-discussed Chinese railroad down through the stan-countries to Iran. That puppy looks GREAT ON PAPER!!!!! Otherwise, you would have to reconfigure massive political and security realities to make that happen or to not end out having to create a mini-empire just committed to building it and keeping it running. China has its eyes on Taiwan and the South Pacific. They know that they have back door problems in that region which they have to manage and avoid getting bogged down. Not easy. Getting over extended there would not work for them. They might try some things via their puppet Pakistan but they are a disaster too. The epicenter of CORRUPTION R US.
What a disaster. The Pentagon clowns are beating their chest and happy to explain how they have worked with the Taliban to instruct them on what documentation they need to check for in order to let people through. Jeezus H. And for those who do not get through, not to worry. They just registered with the Taliban and are on their mailing list to receive "a gift of value."