One point about Afghanistan: no one has been talking about this: a huge mineral deposit was discovered by U.S. and Russian scientists. $1 trillion trove of rare minerals revealed under Afghanistan https://www.livescience.com/47682-rare-earth-minerals-found-under-afghanistan.html
These deposits were first mentioned being discovered in the late 1980s.
$1 trillion trove of rare minerals revealed under Afghanistan | Live Science
The war-torn country of Afghanistan may be sitting on one of the richest treasure troves of minerals in the world, valued at nearly $1 trillion and maybe much more.
https://www.livescience.com/47682-rare-earth-minerals-found-under-afghanistan.html
