Aynak copper mine in afghanistan books

Afghanistan has active coal mines already, but as gallo notes in the voa article, the bulk of afghanistans mining is off the books and illegal overseen by warlords, politicians, or. About ten years ago, chinese firms signed contracts to mine one of the worlds largest untouched copper deposits here, in a sparsely populated part of logar province that feels remote despite being only 40 kilometres southeast of afghanistans capital, kabul. About ten years ago, chinese firms signed contracts to mine one of the worlds largest untouched copper deposits here, in a sparsely populated part of logar province that feels remote despite being only 40 kilometres southeast of afghanistans capital, kabul mes aynak, meaning small copper deposit in dari, one of afghanistans official languages, is huge estimates indicate it. The archaeological dig at mes aynak, an ancient buddhist city on the route of the silk road in afghanistan. May 31, 20 mes aynak, a magnificent buddhist city, is the most important archaeological discovery in a generation. However, its use has been suspended several times and the mine has never been fully exploited due to political unrest and terrorism, among other issues, in afghanistan. The aynak is also a vast complex of over twenty ruin locations, including numerous 5t h6t h century buddhist monasteries, as fortress and evidence of even older bronze age settlements buried beneath the rubble of ancient copper mines. With the aynak deposit alone, afghanistan could become one of the worlds top 15 copper producers. Mes aynak summit logar province, afghanistan, copper mine aynak.

Exploration, exploitation, processing and smelting contract of aynak copper deposit signed between the ministry of mines of afghanistan and mcc company of china. Goats and soda a vast archaeological site sits atop one of the worlds biggest untapped copper deposits. Unfortunately, mes aynak also sits on one of the worlds largest copper deposits, one that the afghan government has leased for 30 years in a contract with two major chinese transnational companies, the metallurgical corporation of china mcc and jiangxi copper. Then there is the environmental devastation from openpit copper mining. In the spring of 1963, a french geologist set out from kabul to carry out a survey in logar province in eastern afghanistan. Afghanistan has been recognized as one of the most fragile, conflictaffected, and landlocked countries. Aug 25, 2017 already in 2010, washington feared that resourcehungry china will try to dominate the development of afghanistans mineral wealth which would upset the united states after winning the bid for its aynak copper mine in logar province, china clearly wants more china and the battle for lithium.

Aynak is a worldclass copper deposit which, but for the upheavals of the last 25 years in afghanistan, would surely have become an operating mine. Reviving commercial development of afghanistans aynak. Afghan government its hard to mine copper without railroads or electricity. Afghanistan has over 1,400 mineral fields, containing barite, chromite, coal, copper, gold, iron ore, lead, natural gas, petroleum, precious and semiprecious stones, salt, sulfur, talc, and zinc, among many other minerals. The site contains the worlds second largest copper deposit which looms as major revenue source for afghanistan. A chinese firm with a contract to dig up valuable copper ore that lies beneath the site is waging a battle against afghan and foreign.

A 2008 announcement gives details of the anyank copper mine project and associated railway plan. One of afghanistan s biggest archaeological treasures may soon be turned to dust as a chinese mining company which has bought the site turns it into a sprawling, billiondollar copper mine. Afghanistan requests expressions of interest in the aynak. Clashes across afghanistan kill dozens of security force. Since july 29, 2011 all information about the ancient buddhist monasteries in mes aynak has completely been deleted from this article. Afghanistan, us companies working on afghan coal deal voice. Everything was set to be destroyed by this copper minethe proposed dynamiting echoing the talibans 2001 destruction of the giant buddhas at bamiyan. In 2007 the beijingbased china metallurgical group corporation mcc, leading a statebacked consortium, won rights to extract the copper here on a. China, copper, and conservation at mes aynak by peter lee. Dec 30, 2009 a delegation from the stateowned chinese company, china metallurgical group corporation, visited the site of a copper mine in aynak, a former alqaeda stronghold southeast of kabul, in 2007. The aynak copper mine is the largest copper mine in afghanistan and is said to be the second largest copper mine in the world. Project to exploit afghanistans giant copper deposit. In addition, several others large and small reserves exist on the outskirts of central mesaynak.

The civil war in afghanistan in 1989 halted exploration in the aynak area until a joint venture between metallurgical corporation of china mcc and jiangxi copper group acquired the mine in november 2007. A delegation from the stateowned chinese company, china metallurgical group corporation, visited the site of a copper mine in aynak, a former. Mps calls for action on aynak copper mine tolonews. Mining in afghanistan is controlled by the ministry of mines and petroleum, which is headquartered in kabul with regional offices in other parts of the country. Hello fellow wikipedians, i have just modified 3 external links on mes aynak.

Gender, agency and decision making in community engagement. The aynak copper deposit is exceptional in world perspective. The western aynak mine has around 50 million tonnes of copper ore containing 0. The journal, therefore, does not focus solely on geographic afghanistan, but publishes articles that straddle these three subject areas where the premodern histories and cultures of afghanistan connect. After a competitive bidding process, the government of afghanistan in 2007 awarded a 30year lease to the metallurgical corporation of china mcc, which then created the afghan entity named mjam to explore the resource and submit a bankable feasibility study. June 20 the mes aynak mine is a large copper mine located in the east of afghanistan in logar province. Around 1,500 afghan police guard the mine site and the road. When afghanistan was under taliban control, mes aynak was the site of an elite al qaeda camp where four of the hijackers who took part in the 2001 attacks on new york city and washington, d. Jun 15, 2015 other taliban were more pragmatic and insisted on a financial cut when the mine commenced operations. Mes aynak mine is said to be the second largest copper ore body in the world, with the deposit estimated to contain 5. But its not taliban fighters camped in nearby mountains who are threatening to destroy some 400 buddhist treasures and a monastery complex dating back several thousand years that lie at the site of mes aynak. At the present time, there are several hundred chinese technicians working in a multibilliondollar chinese investment in afghanistans aynak copper mineconsidered the countrys largestever infrastructure project.

To prevent future disputes, integrity watch afghanistan recommends strengthening project monitoring processes and greater public communication and consultation with key stakeholders. Gary mcmahon, senior mining specialist at the world bank, believes that afghanistan is in a good position to benefit from the aynak copper mines. Economic experts say afghanistans valuable mineral deposits could be a crucial part of the countrys future economic growth and sustainability. Mes aynak, meaning small copper deposit in dari, one of afghanistans official. To avoid further strife, afghanistan should leave its copper. Mcc and jiangxi copper are in the initial stages of building an openpit copper mine 25 miles southeast of. Destroying mes aynak would be like destroying atlantis. Two abandoned mines in the sheep creek area duration. There is a seven kilometre long range of copper reservein darband area of khaki jabbar district in kabul province and the jawhar copper mine to the south of mesaynak. After a competitive bidding process, the government of afghanistan in 2007 awarded a 30year lease to the metallurgical corporation of china mcc. Apr 22, 2020 eight security force members were killed in a taliban attack on a checkpoint at the mes aynak copper mine in eastern logar province on tuesday evening, abdul qadeer mutfi, a spokesman for.

Mes aynak highlights afghanistans dilemma over protecting. This peace brief seeks to understand what went wrong and explores options for breaking out of the current impasse. Is time running out for the 5,000yearold mes aynak. Preserving this historic site is a must, for everybody who values culture over money those who believe sites like mes aynak belongs to the humanity and not only to the people of afghanistan. The story behind chinas longstalled mine in afghanistan. My carefully wrapped national geography issue arrived safely on the 20th, 4 days earlier than the fastest expected arrival date. Aynak cu deposit mes aynak, mohammad agha district muhammad agha district, logar, afghanistan. According to afghanistans ministry of mines and petroleum, the site is also home to the worlds secondlargest copper deposit, reportedly representing estimated reserves of some 5. Aynak is a large undeveloped copper resource, located about 40 km southeast of kabul in afghanistan s logar province.

Apr 25, 2019 yet because of the economic growth and development that the purchase of the aynak copper mine will have on kabul, the country of afghanistan is welcoming china with open arms. The paper explores these research questions through a case study on one of afghanistans largest extractive projects, the mes aynak copper mine, using arnsteins ladder of participation as a framework to view womens participation in the sector arnstein, 1969. Afghanistan studies is where near eastern studies, central asian studies, and south asian studies overlap. The taliban and chinas quest for afghan copper dw dw. Mcc and the jiangxi copper company limited, in may 2008. China, willing to spend, wins a trove of afghan copper the. A chinese copper mine in afghanistan has run into complications following corruption allegations.

Copper reserves in afghanistan afghanistan mineral and. Mes aynak is the most important discovery of the century. Mes aynak contains afghanistan s largest copper deposit, as well as the remains of an ancient settlement with over 400 buddha statues, stupas and a 40 ha 100 acres monastery. According to the afghanistan geological survey and the british geological survey, the aynak copper deposit consists of 240 million tons of material with a grade of 2. Effect of forced relocation on household income and.

The word mes a ynak literally means little source of copper, mes is copper, while aynak is a diminutive form of ayn, which means source history. See more ideas about afghanistan, archaeological site and buddhist art. Ironically, following the overthrow of the taliban, china had very little interest in afghanistan s reconstruction providing very limited aid and assistance. Mes aynak is a vast ancient buddhist monastery complex and trading center situated just 25 miles southeast of. Jun 10, 20 back in april we told you about a 5,000 yearold settlement in afghanistan called mes aynak, facing destruction by a chinese mining company who were drooling at the prospect of exploiting its rich copper reserves worth an estimated 100 billion dollars and set to become the worlds biggest copper mine. By drawing on project documents and interviews with key stakeholders, the. In its current state the article gives the misleading impression that mes aynak is significant primarily due to a copper mine and a defunct qaeda training camp. Shen heting, the former general manager of the stateowned china metallurgical group corporation mcc, in 2007 signed a 30year lease to build a openpit copper mine in a place called mes aynak. Quest for copper riches in mes aynak develops as battle between culture and commerce emma grahamharrison in mes aynak thu 23 may 20.

Sep 4, 2018 buddhist archeological site afghanistan. China vs us lithium and the battle for afghanistans. As a result of copper extraction, mes aynak would become a toxic crater. The tender for a 30year lease for the exploitation of the ainak copper mine potentially the worlds secondlargest open copper pit had been won by a consortium of chinese stateowned enterprises. Project to exploit afghanistans giant copper deposit languishes. In 2007 the beijingbased china metallurgical group corporation mcc, leading a statebacked consortium, won rights to extract the copper here on a 30year lease. Stratabound sedimentaryexhalative sedex type copper deposit, hosted in vendiancambrian arkosic. Afghan archaeologists and villagers fight to save the ancient buddhist city of mes aynak, one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of recent times, from destruction by a chinese copper mine. Fallout from fall of chinese executive who sealed copper mine. But, in the trailer of the documentary film, it says. The 1974 mine is thought to contain the secondlargest untapped copper deposits in the world, which could have the ability to move afghanistan into one of the worlds. China, willing to spend, wins a trove of afghan copper. Afghanistan has been recognized as one of the most fragile, conflictaffected, and.

According to the film saving mes aynak, metallurgical group corp. Mes aynak, a spectacular 2,000yearold buddhist city south of kabul, afghanistan, is facing total destruction. According to the information of ministry of mines and petroleum, the aynak copper reserve is spread across an area of 800 square kilometres. Mes aynak, a magnificent buddhist city, is the most important archaeological discovery in a generation. Afghan archaeologists battle chinese mining interests in. The largest contract in history of afghanistan is signed.

Is there still hope for china, afghanistans longstalled us. Evaluation of the obstacles to developing the aynak copper. Future generations of scholars may see mes aynak as an unique archaeological complex which comprises an extraordinary number of diverse functions and thus provides crucial primary evidence for the history of inner and south asia during the 1st millennium ad and most likely earlierthat is, with luck. Aynak is a large undeveloped copper resource, located about 40 km southeast of kabul in afghanistans logar province. Mes aynak represents one of the largest copper reserve in afghanistan and in the world having estimated reserves of 690 million tonnes of ore grading 1. A victory for archaeologists fighting to protect mes aynak. The aynak copper mine was first discovered in 1973, and mining was initiated by the metallurgical company of china in 2009. When documentary filmmaker brent huffman first visited the buddhist archaeological site of mes aynak in eastern afghanistan in june 2011, he was awed by the 2,600yearold city, how it.

Mines on your mind the mes aynak copper mine in logar province, afghanistan, approximately 25 miles south of kabul lays mes aynak, an ancient buddhist city doomed to vanish forever under a project touted as a magic bullet for the war torn economy of afghanistan. Jul 11, 2015 the tender for a 30year lease for the exploitation of the ainak copper mine potentially the worlds secondlargest open copper pit had been won by a consortium of chinese stateowned enterprises. Fallout from fall of chinese executive who sealed copper. Aynak is symbolic of afghanistans declining fortunes since the 2001 fall of the taliban and. The consortium later called itself mccjcl aynak minerals mjam to formally operate the project. Mes aynak, 20 miles south of kabul, lies in a province that is still considered a major transit route for insurgents coming from pakistan. Afghanistan, us companies working on afghan coal deal.

Development of the openpit mine means that sooner or later the archaeological. Mes aynaks religious sites and copper deposits have been bound together for centuries mes means copper in the local dari language. Afghanistan, as a crossroads of empire and a key stage in the silk road, is dotted with important archaeological sites that go back 5000. Mes aynak or eye of copper is a 5,000yearold archaeological site located in kabul, afghanistan oct, 2016 marija georgievska mes aynak or eye of copper is a site 40 km southeast of kabul, afghanistan, located in a barren region of logar province. There is very little in print on this rich archeology site in afghanistan near china, unfortunately, mes aynak, is on top of a fabulously important copper mine, that the chinese government wants.