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The Taliban are sitting on $1T worth of minerals the world desperately needs

Written on . Posted in PT Global Economy.

(Copper ore is seen at Aynak in the Logar Province of Afghanistan on March 4, 2013)

CNN: The swift fall of Afghanistan to Taliban fighters two decades after the United States invaded the country has triggered a political and humanitarian crisis. It’s also causing security experts to wonder: What’s going to happen to the country’s vast untapped mineral wealth?

“But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.” Daniel 11:44

Afghanistan is one of the poorest nations in the world. But in 2010, US military officials and geologists revealed that the country, which lies at the crossroads of Central and South Asia, was sitting on mineral deposits worth nearly $1 trillion that could dramatically transform its economic prospects.

Supplies of minerals such as iron, copper and gold are scattered across provinces. There are also rare earth minerals and, perhaps most importantly, what could be one of the world’s biggest deposits of lithium — an essential but scarce component in rechargeable batteries and other technologies vital to tackling the climate crisis.

“Afghanistan is certainly one of the regions richest in traditional precious metals, but also the metals [needed] for the emerging economy of the 21st century,” said Rod Schoonover, a scientist and security expert who founded the Ecological Futures Group. Read More

US Soldier Films Chaotic Scenes At Kabul Airport As Apache Gunships Clear Runway

Written on . Posted in PT Middle East.

Zero Hedge: What’s happening at Hamid Karzai International Airport, otherwise known as Kabul Airport, is straight out of the scenes from the 2013 horror/action flick World War Z’s airport scene when Brad Pitt and others escaped on a commercial jet while zombies attempted to commandeer the plane.

For some comparison, military news and video website Funker530 released a dramatic video filmed by a US soldier in a mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicle that shows AH-64 Apache gunships were used to clear the runway for C-17 aircraft to evacuate Afghans as the Taliban closed in on the area.

Many people in Afghanistan who worked for government live in fear now. 

Read More

How Joe Biden Armed the Taliban

Written on . Posted in PT Middle East.

Breitbart: The Taliban seized a staggering quantity of American military vehicles, equipment, and weapons when it overran Afghanistan in a week.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat obsessed with gun control, ended up giving billions of dollars of American weapons to the Islamist fanatics who helped perpetrate 9/11.

“It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
For a throne is established by righteousness.” Proverbs 16:12

Only a month ago, Biden was bragging about the terrific quality of the modern “tools, training, and equipment” sent to the Afghan military at the expense of U.S. taxpayers over the past two decades.

Biden scoffed at the notion of an easy Taliban victory on July 8:

Together, with our NATO Allies and partners, we have trained and equipped over three hu- — nearly 300,000 current serving members of the military — of the Afghan National Security Force, and many beyond that who are no longer serving.  Add to that, hundreds of thousands more Afghan National Defense and Security Forces trained over the last two decades.

We provided our Afghan partners with all the tools — let me emphasize: all the tools, training, and equipment of any modern military.  We provided advanced weaponry.  And we’re going to continue to provide funding and equipment.   And we’ll ensure they have the capacity to maintain their air force.

Taliban fighters patrol inside the city of Kandahar, southwest Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Sidiqullah Khan)

“Do I trust the Taliban?” Biden said in response to a reporter’s question. “No. But I trust the capacity of the Afghan military, who is better trained, better equipped, and more competent in terms of conducting war.”

A little over a month later, the Taliban seized all of Afghanistan in a blitzkrieg Read More

 

Did The NY Fed Confiscate $1.3B In Afghan Gold: Striking Revelations From Afghanistan’s Central Bank Chief

Written on . Posted in PT Global Economy.

Zero Hedge: Yesterday morning, shortly after the acting Afghan central banker chief, Ajmal Ahmady, fled the country (after he was “somehow pushed on board” of a military plane by his colleagues), and warning on twitter that the country has no dollars left domestically (i.e., any dollars and gold currently stored at the local central bank vault have been pillaged by the Taliban even though the country’s new rulers vowed on Saturday that the treasury, public facilities and government offices were the property of the nation and “should be strictly guarded”), sparking domestic bank runs and a record rout in the local currency, the Afghani, some asked what that means for Afghan reserves stored offshore.

“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” Matthew 24:7

Conveniently, overnight Reuters provided a handy breakdown of the international reserves owned by the DAB (as the Afghani central bank is called). The most recent financial statement posted online shows DAB holds total assets of about $10 billion, including $1.3 billion-worth of gold reserves and $362 million in foreign currency cash reserves, according to currency conversion rates on June 21, the date of the report. Notably, a big chunk of the reserves aren’t held in the country as we observed yesterday.

Digging deeper, the DAB’s June statement stated that the bank owned investments worth $6.1 billion. While the latest report did not provide details of those investments, a breakdown in the year-end report showed that the majority of those investments were in the form of U.S. Treasury bonds and bills, most likely held by proxy at the Fed where they make up a portion of the $3.5 trillion in securities held in custody by the US central bank. As Reuters further notes, investments were made through the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), an arm of the World Bank, or through the FRBNY and held in New York.

Among its smaller items are shares in an investment pool by the Bank for International Settlement, which is based in Switzerland, as well as the Economic Cooperation Organisation Trade and Development Bank in Turkey.

This is important because as we also learned yesterday, the US Treasury imposed a freeze on all Afghan reserves, depriving the Taliban – who remain on US international sanctions lists – of much needed cash. Read More

Ex-Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Reportedly Fled Country With $169 Million, Emerges In UAE

Written on . Posted in PT Global Economy.

Zero Hedge: It’s now well known that ex-Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had fled his country on Sunday while claiming it would “avert bloodshed”. His rapid exit, initially said to have been toward Tajikistan, ensured the lighting fast Taliban takeover of Kabul – also as the Pentagon scrambled to initiate the still ongoing evacuation of US diplomats and all American citizens.

“Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! … ?” Isaiah 1:4

On Monday it emerged via Russian embassy eyewitnesses and reports that Ghani had stuffed multiple cars and a helicopter full of cash upon departure, even leaving some of it on the airport tarmac as not all of it could be physically carried, apparently. It’s now emerging that he and his aides may have escaped with a whopping $169 million, according to new statements from the Afghan ambassador in Tajikistan, as reported in BBC.

Further the United Arab Emirates is now confirming that he’s reappeared in the UAE. “The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds,” according to a Wednesday foreign ministry statement.

Since he fled Sunday, there had been no official word on his whereabouts, though previously there was speculation that Tajikistan may have denied him entry, which may have initially diverted Ghani to Oman.

Ghani has a lot to answer for: not only did he loot Afghanistan’s coffers (and the US taxpayer by extensions), but his fleeing may have collapsed a major transitional or possible ‘power sharing’ deal that was in the works, which perhaps would have also avoided the horrific scenes from Kabul international airport on Monday that resulted in at least seven deaths. Read More

The West’s empty promise: Kabul evacuation flights take off EMPTY as Taliban close off airport

Written on . Posted in PT World Order.

Daily Mail:

  • Tens of thousands of desperate Afghans are trying to evacuate from Kabul’s airport, but are being held back by a Taliban ring of steel with barely anybody being allowed through   
  • Women were filmed begging US troops to put them on flights home, shouting ‘the Taliban are coming for me’
  • But flights are taking off nearly-empty, with one German plane with space for 150 taking just seven people 
  • Another Australian aircraft, with room for 120, took just 26 as NGOs warned people cannot get to the planes

Evacuation flights out of Kabul are taking off almost empty despite tens of thousands of Afghans trying to flee the country after the Taliban formed a ring of steel around the airport and barred most people from reaching it.

One Australian Hercules C-130 aircraft with room for 120 people took off with just 26 on board today, the government has confirmed, while a German Airbus A-400M with room for 150 was carrying just seven people when it departed yesterday.

That is despite there being around 50,000 Afghans gathered at the airport who have been promised sanctuary by western nations. One particularly harrowing piece of footage showed women pleading with US troops that ‘the Taliban are coming for me’.  Read More

‘Mostly Friendly’ Taliban Fire Into Crowd Of Protesters In J-Bad, Kill 2, Wound 12

Written on . Posted in PT Middle East.

Zero Hedge: The thousands of American citizens still in Afghanistan (there are more than 10K left in the country) are now officially S.O.L because while Democrats in Congress scramble to try and appropriate more money for refugees, the Biden Administration is warning that it can no longer guarantee the safety of Americans still in Afghanistan, as Taliban fighters form a ring of checkpoints around Kabul Airport.

“Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.” Rev. 16:12

Meanwhile, as the world waits to see whether the newly reformed Taliban will stick to their promises of not resorting to violence, the organization’s fighters have already killed several protesters in cities across Afghanistan.

According to Bloomberg, the new Taliban-manned checkpoints at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul (which is the last place under US control in the country) are only intended to ensure security and prevent people from rushing in after several people died during the chaotic scenes on Monday.

A man carries a bloodied child, as a woman lays wounded on the street after Taliban fighters use guns fire, whips, sticks and sharp objects to maintain crowd control over thousands of Afghans who continue to wait outside the Kabul Airport.

As the remaining Americans still in Afghanistan wonder whether they can trust the Taliban with their safety after 20 years of war with the US, the State Department sent the following message via text alert to every American in the country yesterday. The alert begins by advising the remaining AmCits that the US military and State Department “cannot guarantee your safety”, while directing them to the proper channels for any bureaucratic paperwork that still needs to be completed before they can leave.

The security breakdown is just another consequence of the Biden Administration’s disastrous pull-out from Afghanistan Read More

Netanyahu: In 2013, John Kerry Offered Israel to Adopt ‘Afghanistan Model’ with PA

Written on . Posted in PT World Order.

Jewish Press: Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused an offer by the US to adopt the now failed “Afghanistan Model” and rely on Palestinian Authority security forces for security, Netanyahu posted on Facebook today.

The former prime minister revealed Wednesday that in 2013, he was approached by then US Secretary of State John Kerry, who invited him on a secret visit to Afghanistan to see, as he explained, how the US had set up a local military force that could stand alone against terrorism.

“He leads counselors away plundered,
And makes fools of the judges.” Job 12:17

“The message was clear – the ‘Afghanistan model’ is the model that the United States seeks to apply to the Palestinian issue as well,” he wrote.

He “politely declined” the offer and rejected the idea.

Taliban Shoots Woman for Not Wearing Burqa on Same Day it Vows to Honor Women’s rights

Written on . Posted in PT Middle East.

New York Post: Taliban fighters shot and killed a woman for not wearing a burqa in Afghanistan Tuesday — the same day the group pledged to usher in a new inclusive era in the country that honors “women’s rights.”

A photo emerged of a woman in Takhar province lying in a pool of blood, with loved ones crouched around her, after she was killed by insurgents for being in public without a head covering, according to Fox News.

“Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:16

The killing came amid the outfit’s version of a charm offensive, after its swift takeover of the country in the absence of US troops, who had been propping up allied military groups since shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The Taliban reportedly killed a woman when she was seen in public without a head covering.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid held a news conference to say that the insurgents would honor women’s rights, within the highly restrictive Sharia law. The militants urged women to return to school and work, and another Taliban spokesman granted a televised interview to a female journalist.

Mujahid also vowed to grant amnesty to Afghans who worked with the now toppled government architected by the US. Read More

China calls for curbs on ‘excessive’ income and for the wealthy to give back more to society

Written on . Posted in PT Global Economy.

CNBC: Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized at a finance and economic meeting Tuesday the need to support moderate wealth for all — or the idea of “common prosperity,” which analysts have said is behind the latest regulatory crackdown on tech companies.

Significantly, the meeting was the first Xi led publicly since a two-week quiet period. Chinese leaders typically spend early August in secret political discussions at a resort in Beidaihe, about a three hours’ drive east of Beijing.

The meeting called for the “reasonable adjustment of excessive incomes and encouraging high income groups and businesses to return more to society,” state media said in Chinese, according to a CNBC translation.

Leaders also specified common prosperity does not mean prosperity for just a few and is not a form of equal distribution, state media said. Rather, progress toward the goal would occur in stages, the report said. Read More