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PANJSHIR VALLEY, Afghanistan -- It has been dubbed Afghanistan's Green Zone: A pocket of paradise amid the bloody, conflict-ravaged country -- both a hidden gem and full of gems. Specifically, they are world-class emeralds seemingly just waiting to be mined.

Located some 80 miles along a snaking road northeast of Kabul via Bagram, the Panjshir Valley boasts stark mountainous terrain at the foot of the historic Hindu Kush range. Deep in these mountains, hopeful civilians with their home-crafted explosives attempt to blast their way into some money.

"The villagers are mining like they were centuries ago, no technology. Sometimes they get lucky, sometimes not. Sometimes they destroy the emeralds in the process," Haji M.Gul Rashid, president of the Gem Stone Union in Afghanistan, told Fox News. "People are very poor, they just want to work to feed their families. They don't have many possibilities beyond that."

Afghanistan's lush Panjshir Valley (Hollie McKay/Fox News)

Geological surveys conducted in Afghanistan during the early years of Operation Enduring Freedom estimated that the countrys natural mineral wealth could exceed a trillion dollars, with a major portion of the untapped minerals buried below Panjshir alone. Beyond emeralds, Rashid says that Panjshir boasts "all colors and all stones," but they have received next to no help amassing their potential fortune.

Some of Earths earliest indications of mining -- dating back about 6,000 years -- have been traced to Afghanistan. Yet the passage of time has afforded the Afghan people little progress in this realm. What locals want is long-term support with mining methods and technology to elevate production.

"About three years ago a program came from the international community for six months, but it was not effective. It was supposed to train specialists, but that does not take six months. That takes years," Rashid said. "There is so much treasure here, but still there is no response."

Emeralds from the Panjshir Valley (Hollie McKay/Fox News)

The same can be said for an area in the southeast of Afghanistan where one of the worlds largest and most easily mined deposits of rare-earth elements -- critical in the manufacture of modern technology -- remains virtually untapped.

Indeed, the instability of Afghanistan as a whole -- despite Panjshir's relative stability -- has proven to be a major deterrent for cautious investors.

Experts say that these natural treasures have the capacity to bring much-needed wealth to Afghanistan, and give Afghans in other provinces a means of income that doesn't rely on cultivating poppy seeds or cannabis to survive. Income from the narcotic trade funds the Taliban and contributes significantly to the global opioid and heroin epidemic.

Panjshir Gov. Kamalluddin Nizami (Hollie McKay/Fox News)

"Mining would bring many, many benefits for our country and for investors," Panjshir Gov. Kamalluddin Nizami noted. "But we can't do this alone. Coordination with the private sector is imperative."

As it stands, most recovered gems are usually smuggled uncut out of the country to places like Dubai and India, due to heavy Afghan regulations and taxation -- meaning little revenue or employment opportunity for Afghans. But until the infamous corruption in the country is cleaned up and proper mining mechanisms are put in place to support the potential billion-dollar a year industry, those in the business say they have little choice but to go it alone.

While there is a scattering of arbiters that dominate the trade, most village miners -- if they are lucky - make $50 to $100 a month. The central government's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum recently revised its Minerals Law and the Law on Hydrocarbons, but such revisions are still awaiting parliamentary approval and locals remain uncertain if and how it will benefit them.

Afghanistan's mountainous Panjshir Valley (Hollie McKay/Fox News)

And even though Panjshir serves as a getaway for folks seeking serenity from the fighting and tension that permeates most other provinces, locals say it could have a broader visitor appeal -- one that could bring jobs and steady income to the impoverished people.

It is indeed a quaint and picturesque place reminiscent of a time long ago -- steep hills and V-shaped side valleys, sprinkled with mud huts and small farms, where farmers grow wheat and herd sheep and goats. Cows often roam freely. Visitors can see families flying kites and sharing picnics by the water, donkey carts tottering along the narrow dirt tracks, and wild fruits and herbs flourishing at every turn. The diet in Panjshir is predominantly barbequed meat with some vegetables and rice, and flatbread at every meal. Panjshiris constantly offer guests hot tea chai along with generous platters of dried local mulberries, walnuts and dried chickpeas. Every house seems to be flanked by mulberry, apple and stone fruit trees.

According to Panjshir Province Police Chief Mohammad Ishaq Tamken, their biggest security concern is in the form of smugglers using Panjshir as a route to transport illegal weapons from Pakistan and northern provinces through to Kabul, a practice they are endeavoring to combat.

Panjshir Province Police Chief Mohammad Ishaq Tamken (Hollie McKay/Fox News)

"This is a great place for visitors, but nobody has built up anything here," Tamken told Fox News.

Most of the province is without electricity or hot water. Those fortunate enough to afford fuel might use a generator for a few hours a day. Remarkably, 3G cell service recently became available to some parts of the valley, which was a boon to the local population since Facebook is a common communications tool for Afghans.

Yet without further support in terms of infrastructure, Panjshirs economic potential remains buried with its emeralds. Locals point out millions that the international community spent not long after 9/11 on setting up wind turbines for electricity. But at some point, the money ran out, the project was left incomplete and now it would require starting from square one. There is some run-of-river, micro-hydro-power for a few villages and individual houses. But the larger hydro-power station in Paranday village remains unfinished. So much of Afghanistan seems unfinished like that -- the last 10 percent to 25 percent of projects just too insurmountable for a variety of reasons.

The Panjshir Valley was the site of heavy fighting during the Soviet invasion after 1979. It was in the Panjshir that the famed Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Lion of the Panjshir, started the resistance that the Russians and Afghan Communist regime were unable to defeat, despite leveling practically every structure in the valley, denuding it of trees and killing many of its inhabitants. Testament to this fighting can been seen in the many bombed-out shells of Soviet tanks and armored vehicles littering the valley floor.

On a hike in the local hills, its common to come across rockets, mortar tails and bullet casings still rusting in the sunshine from their original place of destruction. Yet it is for this reason, Panjshiris vow, that their enclave has since been mostly untouched by terrorists and combat, even throughout the U.S-led war against Al Qaeda and their Taliban hosts.

"After fighting the Russians, all the people here built a united community when others were fighting among themselves," Gov. Nizami explained.

The region is inhabited almost solely by ethnic Tajiks who remain loyal to their deceased but still esteemed Mujahedeen leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud. After being a major force in the Soviet resistance, he went on to lead the resistance against the Taliban and other affiliated groups in the 1990s. The Panjshir was the last holdout against radical Islamic extremism in the country until the U.S. invaded in 2001.

Wall hanging of the esteemed Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Lion of the Panjshir." (Hollie McKay/Fox News)

Posters of Massoud adorn many huts and streets, and his tomb, nestled high on a quiet mountain top, serves as a sanctuary where, every day, devotees come to pray and pay tribute. He was assassinated by Al Qaeda affiliates two days before 9/11, in what many see as Osama bin Ladens final attempt to deny Afghans a modern future.

In due course, locals speak with pride of the code-named "Jawbreaker" mission -- the first CIA teams to enter Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of those attacks. The Gary Berntsen-led team set its base in the staunchly anti-Taliban Panjshir and brought together an alliance to topple the terrorist regime from the North.

Panjshiris also fondly recall a brief period in which a U.S. Provisional Reconstruction Team came in more than a decade ago and helped them pave their main road and build schools and a bridge. Yet compared to many other parts of the country, resources are vastly lacking.

"We are people sitting on riches and living in quiet peace. We welcomed NATO as our friends, but we feel like we have been forgotten," lamented Haji Abdul Sami, an employee with the Ministry of Defense. "We are not criminals here. Unfortunately, the areas where the criminals are seem to get all the resources and attention."

Hollie McKay has been a FoxNews.com staff reporter since 2007. She has reported extensively from the Middle East on the rise and fall of terrorist groups such as ISIS in Iraq. Follow her on twitter at @holliesmckay

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Afghanistan's beautiful 'Green Zone' offers emeralds, peace - Fox News

ISIS expansion and the Talibans new regional allies; these are the urgent tasks the U.S. must address in its strategy.

By Hashim Wahdatyar for The Diplomat

May 24, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump will unveil his strategy for Afghanistan this week during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Brussels. It is likely that the new strategy will include sending several thousand troops to Afghanistan. On the one hand, this is good news for Kabul, returning the country to international prominence after a long presidential campaign during which Trump rarely discussed the nation. On the other hand, it will alert Islamabad, which has pushed international troops out of Afghanistan, that the U.S. will stay and remain a close ally of Kabul. An increase of troops would also help both Kabul and Washington manage moves by regional players in the country, including stemming the effect ofRussian relations with the Taliban.

Under such circumstances, the U.S must consider the following five strategic priorities in order to succeed in Afghanistan:

Strengthen and reform the national security forces that needs tools more than training

The U.S. cannot be Afghanistans police force anymore, patrolling the country indefinitely against seemingly endless terrorist threats, which range from Al Qaeda, to the Taliban, to the Haqani Network, to the Islamic States Khorasan Province (ISKP), to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan operating in Northern Afghanistan. It is vital then to address current and future challenges through a strong national security force with the support of U.S. and NATO forces.

The international community has provided training to Afghan security forces for the past decade while they still lack heavy weapons and a well-equipped air force. Afghanistan needs strong non-political forces that are highly motivated. The insurgents are driven and prepared to die for their cause while the morale of Afghan forces is weakened by the prevalence of corruption among their commanders. Every day, U.S.-invested security forces perish, fighting against the Taliban. The U.S. has sent more than $70 billion to the Afghan security forces since 2002. The U.S. needs to equip the forces with heavy weapons and other battlefield technology. Empowering the Afghan Air Force will also help decrease the casualties.

Address thenarcotics that fuel the Talibans war machine

Afghanistan is the worlds top producer of opium, producing 90 percent of the global supply. The opium trade results in the generation of approximately $68 billion in annualrevenue. In 2016, opium production increased by43 percent. The Taliban earns up to$400million annually from the illicit drug trade, particularly from the restive Southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar, and Nimruz. This income helps fund the Talibans war engine, an alarming phenomenon that has continued for well over a decade. Today, around 40 percent of the Talibans funding comes from opium, which enables them to fight the Afghan government andthe international community.

The drug trade not only supports the Taliban financially, but also garners thempoliticalsupport as well, winning them the backing of local drug lords, drug dealers, and youth who work in poppy fields, lancing opium for $4 per day in wages.

As the connectionbetween the Taliban and opium grows stronger, the fight against narcotics in Afghanistan has become inextricably linked with the fight against the Taliban must. Unless counter-narcotic operations are made a priority in the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, the insurgency will continue.

Fight corruption

Corruption within the national forces is a major obstacle in fighting insurgents. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is not able to rid the government of well-rooted corrupt individuals. The problem requires international pressure and strong political will.

Afghanistan is ranked third in Transparency Internationals corruption perception index (CPI), despite Ghanis efforts. He established a high commission of procurement in 2015, which was led by him, and a new commission in 2016 to root out corruption in the highest levels of government.

Corruption within the security sector has particularly critical consequences. Corruption within Afghan security forces undermines combat readiness and effectiveness, with direct implications for the U.S. and NATO role in Afghanistan.

Forge a peace deal with the Taliban from a position of strength

The road to a peace deal with the Taliban run through Islamabad since it is Pakistan that is blocking reconciliation with Kabul. Senior Taliban leaders and their families have their roots in Pakistan, which limits their ability to negotiate with Afghanistan. Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai conducted frequent visits to Islamabad, trying unsuccessfully to convince Pakistan to allow the Taliban to pursue a peace deal with Kabul. Afteryears of war and millions of dollars spent without result, the Taliban, backed by Pakistan, continue fighting Afghans and the international community. In order to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, it would be wise to put pressure on Islamabad from the United States comparative position of strength.

Finally, write a new chapter with Pakistan. Is it an ally or an adversary?

Pakistan has been successful for the past decade in extracting funds from the United States to support its so-called fight against terrorism. However, it is clear that the nation has simultaneously continued to protect the Taliban leaders and their Quetta council, even as the organization is responsible for the deaths of more than 2,300 U.S. troops over the years. The Taliban would not survive a month without Pakistans support.

The U.S requires a clear strategy in approaching talks with Islamabad and must determine if it is an ally against the insurgency in Afghanistan. Washington must demand that Pakistans military establishment take care of the insurgents and their bases, training camps, treatment facilitates, and safe havens in Pakistan. Only concrete actions can prove Islamabads sincerity against terrorism.

Hashim Wahdatyar is analyst based in Washington D.C. He is a former spokesperson and programme officer for the United Nations (UNODC) in Afghanistan. He is also a fellow at the Asia Society. He tweets @hashimwahdat. The views expressed in this article are the authors own.

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5 Strategic Priorities in Afghanistan That Donald Trump Should Consider Before the NATO Summit - The Diplomat

Back in 2009, Marine Corps veteran Donald Downer Jr. started sending care packages to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Last Friday, hesent his 3,000th care package, this one addressed to Capt. John Lefebvre who is currently serving in Afghanistan, reports the Baltimore Sun.

At approximately $17.35 per care package, it's estimated that Downer has spent almost $116,000, according to the paper.

"It's enlightening to know that one person can do so much to keep the morale of the troops," Downer, 88, of Colombia, Md., told the Baltimore Sun. "The most important item is what they put in their stomach and if you can fill it, it's very appreciative from their standpoint."

When Downer was 17, he quit high school to join the Marines and was sent Tsingtao, China. His mom would send him care packages of chocolate chip cookies and spam. In 1948, carepackages were sent by boat and could take 30 days to arrive at their destination.

"After 30 days on the boat ride, those cookies were just crumbs, but the Marines would gather around and wolf down those crumbs," Downer told the Baltimore Sun."Nothing was wasted; even the dust was poured into the coffee. And it got so I couldn't even look at the Spam."

His packages often contain items such as magazines, foot powder, Tabasco sauce, sausage, sunflower seeds, Pop Tarts, Cracker Jacks and his signature item: a can of Spam, earning him the nickname, the Spam Czar. Marines all over the world have sent their thanks and even gifts, including folded American flags and an Afghan rug or embroidered silk.

I know how important it is to get a care package from home when one is deployed overseas in the military, Downer said on his website, GoDonGo. I am now compelled to ensure, in some small way, to make as many of these deployed service personnel a little happier when they receive a care package, from someone back home who cares.

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This Marine Corps veteran has sent 3000 packages to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq - Marine Corps Times

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Jared Auchey, Virginia-born and raised on a sequence of Air Force bases, was just 18 years old when he joined the U.S Army Reserve in 1999. Five years later, after graduating from Penn State University, his first assignment withthe Harrisburg Recruiting Battalion was as an active duty soldier in Afghanistan.

Little did he know then that at age 36 and now with the rank of major, Afghanistan would still be the mainstay of his military career, or that the war against terrorism in that country would be far from over. Auchey spent his first deployment in the western province of Herat, then a relative sanctuary of stability compared to the southern and eastern provinces. Today Auchey works out of Kabul and is now six months into his third deployment in the conflict-torn country.

A dramatically reduced U.S. troop count, part of President Obamas withdrawal plan, means Auchey has to wear numerous hats: He serves as ministerial advisory team lead; as military assistant/aide de camp to the deputy chief of staff for communications; and as the U.S. Strategic Commands adviser to the Afghanistans Ministry of Defense (MOD).

Major Jared Auchey (Hollie McKay/Fox News)

Aucheys day begins with a slow 15-minute walk from the headquarters of Resolute Support, as the current U.S. mission is called, to the headquarters of the Afghanistan MOD. But even such a simple thing as that commute requires its own mission number, a briefing and full body armor. Auchey walks through a so-called Green Zone, a dystopian maze of 20-foot-high poured concrete blast walls, striped metal bars and nervous Afghan gate guards and past barricades. A "Good Luck" sign adorns the turnstile leading out. Aucheys daily commute is a walk into another world.

Impoverished Afghan children peddle pens and scarves in the streets outside, waiting patiently each day in the warmmorning sunfor a familiar Western face. Then when those camouflaged, rifle-toting figures come, they are met with a mix of excitement and desperation. It's candy and conversation. It is begging, for some kind of ticket out of hell.

Auchey engages the young boys in both their native tongue of Dari and in English, which they have learned to speak with precision. He gives them bags of local and U.S. sweets. It's a gentle moment in the otherwise harsh hustle and bustle of working a war behind-the-scenes. Meanwhile, Auchey's own two children, ages 6 and 8, are more than 6,000 miles away in Philadelphia. He awakens each day at 5 a.m. to talk with them before they go to bed.

Major Jared Auchey with street children outside U.S. base in Kabul (Hollie McKay/Fox News)

While other American service personnel train Afghans in weaponry, tactics, drone operation and intelligence gathering, Auchey's work centers on public affairs for the countrys MOD.The Afghans have been getting better at fighting the physical war, but the Taliban, ISIS and others are still dangerously strong at the information war. With Aucheys help, though, the MOD aims to squash that.

It's a delicate process centered on trust building and cross-cultural sensitivity. Often, it is the small steps that make crucial changes, Auchey says. Among those small steps are encouraging the more junior-level MOD staffers not to be intimidated in addressing questions with higher-level staff and establishing a daily press conference system to ensure better productivity and avoid entire days being spent on the phone fielding journalists questions.

The dramatically reduced U.S. troop presence also means the American base in Kabul has become mostly quiet, except for the sound of aircraft landing and taking off.

Thats a contrast to the final days of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which preceded Resolute Support. Under Operation Enduring Freedom, there was constant activity, 24/7. Outside the base during OEF, coalition forces could stroll Kabuls streets in civilian clothes and sit with Afghans over tea and kebabs in nearby bazaars. The surge of 2010 and 2011 in which the U.S. had a peak of around 100,000 personnel dispatched across the country -- had created safety blanket even in some of the most terrorist teeming southern provinces.

Today, forces from a melting pot of NATO nations and from all walks of life occasionally dine in the citys few restaurants or shop for local crafts in a small nearby bazaar.But mostly, U.S. forces and their international counterparts remain confined to the base as the security situation has slowly unraveled.

The "Good Luck" gate at the U.S. base in Kabul (Hollie McKay/Fox News)

On Sundays there are soccer tournaments and once a month there are "coming-and-going" barbecues for the incoming and outgoing. There are half-marathons, yoga and spin classes.It's as home as home can be for those serving in a nation still at war.

And after 16 years battling inside Afghanistan with more than 2,200 American killed in battle, Americans have lost the access they once had to the country they liberated.

"You have to make sure," Auchey stresses, never to become complacent."

Kabulis are the first to say, in their own words, that their city has become its own frontline of sorts. There is a sentiment that even though the grind of life goes on, something could happen at any place at any time. Just over two weeks ago, a suicide bomber attacked an American military convoy just by the fortified front gate -- killing eight Afghan civilians and wounding three American soldiers.

Major Auchey, like all personnel at RS, is relieved to see signs that the current U.S. administration will not abandon Americas longest war or its Afghan allies. It is expected that President Trumps team will roll out its plans for the embattled nation by the end of May. It will likely involve the deployment of several thousand more U.S. and NATO troops to augment the already 13,000 on the ground, a proposal welcomed by the Afghan MOD.

Gen. Dawlat Waziri, left, with Auchey (Hollie McKay/Fox News)

"The assistance and the equipment supply to us is most vital. If this training stops, it would be a devastating situation," said Gen. Dawlat Waziri, officially the MOD spokesman and unofficially the "King of Afghan Media," said from the immaculately manicured grounds of the MOD. "We appreciate so much that people have left their families, to sacrifice so much, to come here and serve our country."

Over lunch at the base, Auchey is surprised to spot a familiar face, one of the scarf-selling teens. It is an Afghan boys first week off the dusty streets, working with the very foreigners he spent his youth pleading with from the outside. It's small but significant change.

For that young Afghan, it is that coveted ticket out of hell.

Hollie McKay has been a FoxNews.com staff reporter since 2007. She has reported extensively from the Middle East on the rise and fall of terrorist groups such as ISIS in Iraq. Follow her on twitter at @holliesmckay

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US soldier in Afghanistan: A day in the life of one American fighter - Fox News

ANDERSON U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks has made her first trip to visit American troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Brooks, R-5th District, joined a group of bipartisan congresswomen on the trip, which focused on meeting U.S. female service members, thanking them for their service, particularly during Mothers Day, and learning about their experiences in the military.

During the visit, Brooks distributed Mothers Day cards that were made by local students.

The congressional delegation met with Afghan and Iraqi women who are leaders in their communities, government, media and business.

During the visit, Brooks met 5th District resident Chief Master Sgt. Lisa Arnold, who is the first female command chief master sergeant to lead all U.S. airmen in Afghanistan.

Arnold shared with Brooks how fulfilling her career in the military has been, and how honored and humbled she is for the opportunity to be in the position.

Some of the troops they met with voiced concerns about access to the same quality of health care as their male colleagues once they come home, Brooks said.

It is a problem that our female troops, who put their lives on the line to protect democracy and sacrifice time with their families in order to fight for our country, are concerned about a lack of access to the healthcare services they have earned, she said in a press release. The concerns I heard during this trip echoed the ones I have heard from Hoosiers in the Fifth District. Men and women have different medical needs and it is important that all of our veterans get quality care after their service.

The congressional delegation met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the first lady of Afghanistan Rula Ghani, attended listening sessions with USAID representatives, heard from local businesses and female entrepreneurs, participated in round tables with Afghan female police and soldiers and had discussions with Iraqi female leaders and other humanitarian leaders.

It was encouraging to hear that women in Afghanistan and Iraq are continuing to gain respect in their country and hold prominent roles in society, and that is due, in part, to the presence of our female troops, Brooks said. They are role models for not only the women in the Afghan and Iraqi military, but for the women who are now the head of households because their husbands have been taken from their homes or killed. Still, there is work to be done. Domestic violence and rape are shockingly commonplace, and many women we spoke to indicated that most Iraqi women have, at some point in their lives, been a victim of abuse. However, leaders in government, business and the nonprofit community are committed to changing this terrible reality.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 640-4863.

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Brooks travels to Afghanistan, Iraq - The Herald Bulletin