American officials fear resource-hungry China will try to dominate the development of Afghanistan’s mineral wealth, which could upset the United States, given its heavy investment in the region.
~ New York Times (born: 1851 age: 160) 2010-06-14

Even the New York Times admits that the Afghan war is an investment in acquiring natural resources. Lithium is the new strategic mineral needed for rechargeable batteries and green power. An internal Pentagon memo, states that Afghanistan could become the “Saudi Arabia of lithium”.

According to Rachel Maddow, the US military was planning the exploitation of these minerals back in 2004, and the Russians were fully aware of them during their invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. So it appears the recent announcement is a crass pitch to revive enthusiasm for the flagging Afghan war.