From Iraq oil to Afghanistan minerals. A Pentagon team and U.S. geologists discovered mineral deposits valued upwards of $1 trillion dollars. Deposits of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and lithium are scattered throughout the country, mainly in the south and east, near the border with Pakistan. This is the area where the Taliban strongholds are located.

The U.S. team estimates that development of Afghanistan's mineral deposits would make them a major world producer. Already China has invested $4 billion to develop the Aynak copper mine. Other players would include Russia and India.

An audit memorandum prepared by Senator Claire McCaskill's staff puts the amount of money spent on reconstruction and redevelopment contracts in Afghanistan at $23 billion, with $1 billion of it waste. So, was $22 billion well spent?

The funds have been spent on a variety of projects, including the construction of roads and the development of power generation utilities to agriculture, urban development and water sanitation.

Morale has plunged among military personnel in Afghanistan as a result of record violence in the war, according to the U.S. Army. A battlefield survey found that the situation is particularly problematic for soldiers on their third and fourth combat tours, and junior enlisted soldiers are most likely to experience marital problems because of deployment. Though it's not a complete solution, the study did find that limited doses of technology – either through video games or internet access – can help.

The study, obtained by NBC News, revealed that more than 20% of soldiers are experiencing combat stress, and half of them are having difficulties getting professional help. Combat Stress units in Afghanistan, the report says, are "undermanned," and this type of unit has no presence in the southern part of Afghanistan, where most of the combat is taking place.

A friend of mine, T.R., is an officer in the Air Force, currently stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan: not exactly a resort, and not a place you would want to spend another 250 days in. He tells me the troops like Oreo cookies -- made by Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) -- of all things. They like them better than "homemade." Perhaps, greater reliability; an important concept in the military. Perhaps it is the preservatives; also an important concept in the military.

Here is the most interesting thing about his email. He reads all my stories and he informed me that he bought one of the oil stocks I recommended and sold it for a quick 10% profit. Now that brings several thoughts to mind. First, there is the dramatic impact the Internet has had on the ability of people to stay connected to the world -- trading stocks from Afghanistan! Second, I'm a buy-and hold-guy and evidently he is not. All of my oil-related picks have continued to rise --Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO) and Anadark Petroleum (NYSE: APC) in particular -- and he would have been wiser to hold on to them. Of course when you are in a war zone, perhaps your time horizon is now, so who can blame him.

When I relayed this story to someone else, he fantasized about an "enemy combatant" in a bunker a mile away also reading my story and trading stocks. Not likely unless it was an Al Qaeda or Taliban leader moving money to Switzerland or the Bahamas, as warlords are prone to do.

Anyway T.R., when you read this you should know you are loved and respected, and your friends miss you and can't wait for your safe return. And more Oreos are on the way!

Those of you who are new to BloggingStocks can check out my other stories and read Chasing Value or Serious Money to find more potential opportunities and verify my track record as well.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the vice president for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. Check out his other posts for BloggingStocks here.