Another Reason to Stay in Afghanistan?

The recent discovery of vast potential mineral resources in Afghanistan provided an incentive for continued U.S. involvement in the country. I wrote about it here.  Now Reuters is reporting that a large new oil field has been discovered in the north.

The discovery of the basin between northern Balkh and Shiberghan provinces was made after a survey conducted by Afghan and international geologists, said Jawad Omar, a spokesman for the ministry of mines.

"I do not know its price in the market. But the initial survey says there are 1.8 billion barrels of oil and I think there will be more than what it is estimated," he told Reuters.

As with the other resources, the U.S. should begin moving immediately in an attempt to exploit this find. We've pumped billions into Afghanistan with no end in sight, with much of that money disappearing without a trace -- not to mention the expenditure in American lives. The U.S. should do everything possible to extract favorable development concessions that will benefit U.S. firms and American workers. I doubt we will, but we should.