Afghanistan may have more than a trillion dollars worth of untapped mineral deposits, a spokesman for the ministry¹ of mines has suggested.

阿富汗一位矿产部发言人称，阿富汗可能蕴藏超过一万亿美元的未开采矿藏。

A joint² team from the Pentagon, US Geological Service and USAID has calculated Afghanistan's mineral deposits（矿床） are worth at least $900bn.

Geological surveys discovered large quantities of iron and copper³ as well as valuable deposits of lithium（锂） .

But questions are being asked about the timing⁴ of the release of information.

The details of a US Geological Service survey of the country were released in 2007. The US assessment⁵ of the worth of the deposits was completed in December last year.

The trillion dollar calculation was reported in the New York Times on 14 June.

The BBC's Jill McGivering says that at a time of growing despair about Afghanistan and its government, the portrayal⁶ of the country as a potential goldmine could help to bolster⁷（支持，支撑） international resolve and paint the country as a prize worth fighting for.

Lithium is an increasingly vital resource, used in batteries for everything from mobile phones to laptops and key to the future of the electric car. Bolivia boasts the largest reserves.

Afghanistan also has significant reserves of niobium（铌） , a key ingredient（要素，原料） in hardened steel（淬火钢） .

'Trillion-dollar resources'

Ministry of mines spokesman Jawad Omar said he could not confirm the exact value of Afghanistan's mineral wealth but had no doubt it would have a very big impact on the country's development.

If exploited, Afghanistan would become self-sufficient, he said, and no longer need foreign aid.

President Hamid Karzai's spokesman, Waheed Omar, was quoted by news agency AP as saying: "The result of the survey ... has shown that Afghanistan has mineral resources worth $1 trillion.

"This is not an overall survey of all minerals in Afghanistan. Whatever has been found in this survey is worth $1tr."

The findings were made by the US Geological Survey under contract to the Afghan government, he said.

The New York Times cited an internal Pentagon memo⁸ which said Afghanistan could become "the Saudi Arabia of lithium".

There are already plans to exploit mineral wealth in Afghanistan with Chinese backing for a copper mine at Aynak in Logar province.