Is Afghanistan petroleum producer?

Question

I think not, but I just want to be sure

Answer 1

No.

Afghanistan doe snot produce any oil neither is it speculated to have any oil reserves. The geology of the place just isn't made for oil.

However, it is important in terms of location. Afghanistan lies between great oil fields (Central Asia: Turkmenistan for example) and great oil consumers (India).

In fact there was a pipeline to be built there, until Unocal pulled out after the Taleban took over - even though the Taleban was negociating - and the deal is now up and running again:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1984459.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2017044.stm

Therefore Afghanistan itself doesn't have oil, but it does offer the possibility of controlling oil. Recall the recent troubles with Russian gas in Europe. Having resource pipeplies go through your territory makes you quite powerful. You can have a hand on the throat of the consumers if you want to.

China and India have been trying to break away from the dependency on the Gulf states for their oil. They are even trying to develop fields together and have signed a MOU to that effect:
http://www.offshore-mag.com/display_article/280227/120/ARTCL/none/COMPN/China,-India-sign-MOU/

And for a more detailed view on how much the consumers of oil: India and CHina are desperate for secure access to oil, see:
http://www.siiaonline.org/thirst_for_oil_shakes_up_global_alliances2

I am not sure in what context you were wondering about Afghanistan and Oil. But if you were thinking whether Afghan oil reserves could have been a reason for intervention, the answer is no.

However, the strategic location of Afghanistan allows whoever controls the country to have some degree of control over India; and as India is growing and becoming a force to be reckoned with, having such a means of control is politically worth paying a high price.

Answer 2

No. Afghanistan serves two purposes.

First, it produces almost all of the worlds Heroin. Since the war, heroin production has increased by a factor of 20. Yes - 2000% more Heroin is produced now than before the war.

The Second use Afghanistan serves is the real reason we went to war.

Years ago, America agreed to pipe oil from the Caspian sea through Afghanistan into Pakistan and onto various outlets. When the Taliban gained power, they refused to let America finish building the pipeline. America warned the Talbian that it would take military action, and it did.

The Afghan war ended the moment the pipeline was built. The military then gaurded the pipeline & ignored the Taliban's return and the drug issue.

It was all about oil!!

Answer 3

if any one interested in laundry soap import in Afghanistan then contact on [phone] for business

Answer 4

Nope, but produces the finest heroin.
That's why British Troops are there at the moment, and, stopping that cr@p getting on to the streets in the UK.
Its nice in the summer though a Holiday in Kandahar is recommended

Answer 5

No, they have rocks, so they can produce cement. Currently, their biggest export is the opium poppies that the Taliban had shut down production of. With the Taliban gone, the peasants went right back to what pays the bills.

Answer 6

No, its not but here's an answer to why we are there.
First, remember that all things political today were started decades ago. With that said I would like to point out that during the Cold War Era the US and USSR were arguing over political alies. For a period of time there were countries that were only considered relative no man's land, much like our bad lands here in the US. During this time the major players were left to try and find ways of gaining land that distanced themselves as well as thier economic rescources from their competitors. For instance, Iraq has major oil reserves, Iran has Uranium. If you can control their resources you end up with money and power.
In the period of time before Iran became an Islamic Republic in 1935, the US was very close friends with the royal family of Iran.The US infact had little to do with Iran especially after the student take over of the US embassy in Tehran in the 70's. But this does not erase the fact that the relationship before that time was not strained.
If you look back to the Kennedy and Nixon Eras, even before those times, you begin to recognize that many of the political heads that we have today are either still in power or were being groomed for their posts that they have now. What this tells us is that the players in this political game have been planning things for a very long time. Just a quick note here about Iraq since I only need to mention this fact and not write too much on it. This country gained independace from Britain in 1932, but after that became a puppet republic with military rule to keep the order. At a certain point the US finally decided to secure "its" oil there and actually supported the rise of a new "stable" leadership in Iraq: Saddam Hussein. We all know what happened to that.
Well, on the other side of what was Persia, in Afganistan, the USSR was moving closer and closer to Iran. With the fears of nuclear war that the US had, it only made sense to oust the Russians and set up a new regime that had the apparent backing of the people as well as a visage of local origin - enter the Talaban.
But since we know that the Talaban was a little haywire in the end and ended up too close to its neighbor in Iran as well as being a very direct route for the dealing of weapons between Iran and China, which was a surprise to some people who did not expect such a xenophobic state to actually step out of the chaos it was building, as well as the dealing of weapons between Iran and the new and relativly unstable Russian government who could not keep track of its own warheads or keep a reactor from blowing up. The US options are probably many at this point, but we will just look at what happened. You have a very real jumping point with an incident that occured here in the US: our 911. Then you have a paper trail, real or not, that leads you to Afganistan. Walk in, set up camp, down with the old power and enter the new. In a very quick move the US has separated Iran from its trade in the East and disrupted trade in the West with Iraq. Its only bad lands to the North and water to the South. Who does the US place in power now . There is no royal family in Afganistan to take the place of the power vacuum created, we can see that the US can't fill this vacuum either. The government that is there is paper thin and can't move the warlords to unity since the warlords see the governement as being backed by the US. It will be interesting to see who can actually fill this space.
In the end it comes down to this, Afganastan is only a gateway country as it has always been. To control Afganastan is to control the movement of goods through Asia. Those that can control this country can disconnect the entire chain of underground trade (which is often more important than what we see on the NASDAQ) between four very important players. If the US wants in on the game between these four then it needs land to do it and that land is Afganistan.

Answer 7

No it only Produces OIL

Answer 8

as it is refined from oil and I can't see then on the list
see the world produces of oil here
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ene_oil_pro-energy-oil-production

Answer 9

I think they produce heroin don't they as their main export?

Answer 10

not the kind we can use.