US think tank reveals Haqqani-Pak nexus

The Haqqani network in Afghanistan is a deadly source of terror attacks against Indian and US interests. But they are also emerging as a significant economic player in the Afghan-Pak region, getting into new businesses like rare earths mining, which are of interest to both India and China, making them a more complicated foe.
It also shows that the Haqqani network is closely intertwined with the state and security machinery in Pakistan. Its resiliency can be credited as much to military prowess as the Haqqanis capacity to network with Pakistan's ISI, other militant groups (particularly al-Qaida) and key religious figures, according to a recent study by the CTC, a Pentagon think tank.
(The study by CTC said that the dreaded Haqqani Network receives financial and logistic support from the Pakistani military. The study also said the Afghan Taliban-linked group has a massive network of "mafia"-style financing operation that relies on extortion, kidnapping, smuggling and ties to legitimate businesses, reports PTI)
The study said a joint US-Afghan geological survey, which estimated Afghanistan to have nearly $1 trillion worth of untapped mineral wealth, located 980,000 metric tonnes of chromium oxide deposits buried beneath the provinces of Logar and Khost. These areas are controlled by the Haqqanis and despite there being no official mining leases being given out by the Karzai government, there are indications that the Haqqanis have entered the mining business unofficially.
The report says that there is evidence of chromite, a rare earth oxide, being smuggled via Pakistan to China.