Factbox: What are Afghanistan's untapped minerals and resources?

Something someone posted, I did not know about Afghanistan or Lithium (all five!):

". . . what is that resource that deserves a 20 year war?!!
The answer is one short word you are holding now: LITHIUM, in addition to other rare-earth minerals!
Whether you are holding a smart phone or a laptop now , you wouldn't be able to use them without the Lithium-ion batteries!
Lithium, the 3rd chemical in the periodic table, is a special element which Allah has created, and has 5 special characteristics that no other element on this earth has! For example:
1 - It is the lightest metal on earth. So light, it can float on water!!
2 - We think that metals are usually very hard, but pure lithium is SO SOFT like butter, you can even cut it with a non-sharp knife!
3 - Because of this, lithium could be added to other metals as an alloy to make them lighter or even bendable!
4 - Lithium hydroxide is used in space ships and submarines to purify CO2 from the air into oxygen.
5 - The electrons of lithium in your phone gets organized in a certain pattern when you charge your phone, then releases the energy thereafter.
For all these crucial functions, many big countries had their eyes on the huge reserves of the precious lithium and other minerals Afghanistan has!
If the Afghan people are left in peace, both from outside and inside, and get the proper education, Afghanistan would become the 17th biggest economy in the world, and many of us would line up to get job contracts and move there because of the wonderful nature, kind people, and amazing food in this unique location in the heart of Asia!"

So I found this article which verifies that, and it states:

"An internal U.S Department of Defense memo in 2010 reportedly described Afghanistan as "the Saudi Arabia of lithium," meaning it could be as crucial for global supply of the battery metal as the Middle Eastern country is for crude oil."