America wants Pakistan’s copper, but US-made guns are fuelling the fight

Copper is not just another industrial metal. It runs through power grids, electric vehicles, semiconductor systems and defence equipment.

• US targets Pakistan's copper reserves for strategic minerals amid rising demand
• Militant violence near mineral sites heightens security risks for mining projects.
• US weapons left in Afghanistan hinder Pakistan's mining region security efforts.

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In the harsh, brown ridges of Pakistan’s northwest, close to the Afghan border, a vast copper mine cuts into the mountainside like an open wound. Last year alone, tens of thousands of tons of copper were extracted from sites such as Muhammad Khel and shipped abroad. Pakistani officials say far more remains underground, part of what they describe as trillions of dollars’ worth of untapped mineral wealth.

That promise has caught the attention of the United States. As President Donald Trump pushes to secure alternative sources of copper and rare earth minerals, Pakistan has positioned itself as a potential partner. Washington has approved more than a billion dollars in financing support for projects such as Reko Diq in Balochistan, believed to hold some of the world’s largest undeveloped copper reserves.

Why copper suddenly matters so much

Copper is not just another industrial metal. It runs through power grids, electric vehicles, semiconductor systems and defence equipment. Analysts say global demand could jump sharply by mid-century as economies electrify and digitize.

The United States is also trying to reduce its dependence on China, which dominates rare earth processing and has significant leverage in global supply chains. In that context, Pakistan’s mineral pitch lands at the right time. For Islamabad, the interest from Washington is more than symbolic. The country has endured repeated economic crises and international bailouts. A mining boom, if it materialises, could shift its financial trajectory, CNN reported.

The minerals lie in dangerous ground

The problem is geography.

Much of Pakistan’s mineral wealth sits in border regions that have seen decades of insurgency. Since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, militant violence has intensified. Pakistani officials say attacks have risen, and security forces describe fighting what they call a renewed war along the frontier.

Roads are lined with military checkpoints. Convoys move with heavy escort. Entire districts remain off limits because of security risks.

In hospital wards in Peshawar, wounded soldiers recount firefights with militants who are no longer relying solely on older, locally available weapons. Pakistani authorities say American-made rifles and machine guns abandoned in Afghanistan have made their way into insurgent hands.

How US weapons entered the equation

When Afghan government forces collapsed in 2021, large stockpiles of US-supplied weapons were left behind. Pakistani officials say some of those arms have since appeared in operations against their troops, including M-16 and M-4 rifles.

Serial numbers on seized weapons have been traced back to earlier US deliveries to Afghan security forces. While Washington has acknowledged that significant equipment was left behind, it has not detailed how much has been recovered, if any.

Doctors in military hospitals say they are now treating more long-range gunshot wounds and sniper injuries. Soldiers describe facing adversaries with better optics and night-fighting capabilities. The battlefield, they say, has changed.

A risky bet on development

The security challenge is especially acute in Balochistan, home to the massive Reko Diq copper project. The region has long faced a separatist insurgency, with militants targeting security forces and infrastructure.

For investors and policymakers, that raises a basic question: can large-scale mining proceed without escalating militarization?

Pakistan’s military insists it can secure the mineral belt and provide protection for projects deemed strategically vital. Officials frame it as a necessity. The country cannot afford to let instability choke off economic opportunity.

Strategic ambitions, local realities

For Washington, access to copper and rare earth minerals is about long-term strategic resilience. For Islamabad, it is about economic survival and political stability.

But the minerals sit in territory shaped by decades of conflict. And the same war that once drew US forces into Afghanistan has, in a twist of history, left behind weapons now complicating America’s mineral ambitions in Pakistan.

In the mountains where copper seams run deep, security and strategy are tightly intertwined. Whether Pakistan can turn buried wealth into lasting prosperity may depend less on what lies underground and more on whether it can contain the conflict above it.