Originally Posted by DWB

Afghanistan is an incredibly resource rich country. They also supply the bulk of opium to the world, so whoever controls the opium controls not only the most of the opium drug trade, but there is huge money to be made on it for medicinal purposes as well. The pharmaceutical companies use it like it's going out of style.

Then of course there is that tiny project called The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline that will supply natural gas to India and Pakistan. And with Indian exploding right now in growth, this is going to be a big money maker. Paid for by.... wait for it... The Asian Development Bank, which is like an Asian version of the World Bank, with it's biggest shareholders being... wait for it... The USA and Japan, with China and India owning a stake as well.

But I doubt it would be due to either of those reasons. Probably all just a coincidence and the real reason was to hunt a handful of Taliban who live in caves and huts and herd goats when they are not plotting epic terror attacks. Which I may add they did find Osama's play book when they killed him and the biggest attack written in it was laying logs (cut down trees) across rail road tracks in the USA. Epic stuff.