Why is the Pentagon doing studies of Mineral Deposits in Afghanistan?

This absolutely floors me, that the Pentagon did THIS study.

Big Guns+ Big Business, Voila! 

We have more than a natural gas pipeline for an ulterior motive?  Is this the Big Idea?  Don't stand too close or the salivation might drown you?

This makes me very tired and very, very sad.  I just had an argument with someone at ceramics because she was saying, "These people have been fighting each other forever. blah blah blah.."

I said that wasn't true and this is why:  The Ottoman empire, which preserved and respected diverse cultures, collapsed after the WWI, and the western powers, including us, set about setting up borders, breaking up the area into "new" countries, disinheriting the Kurds- though they were promised an autonomous area for their help to the allies.

The Western powers planned that these borders were almost certain to have conflict.  This was seen by the West as a way to control the area; it was done so that it would be easier to control this mineral rich plain,  The Great Syrian Plain.  At this point, it looks like that plan succeeded. 
 
I'm always trying to find an unbiased history of that time and that region. So, if anyone knows of such a thing, please suggest it?