Askari Metals Limited has confirmed extensive polymetallic mineralisation at its 100%-owned Uis Project in Namibia after a major trenching programme returned high-grade tin, lithium, tantalum, rubidium and caesium results across a 950-metre pegmatite system.
The Phase 1 trenching programme at the K9 pegmatite target delivered peak assay results of 4,050 parts per million tin, 0.29% lithium oxide, 215 parts per million tantalum, 2,380 parts per million rubidium and 479 parts per million caesium.
Askari said the results significantly strengthen confidence that K9 is emerging as a substantial polymetallic critical minerals system within one of the world’s premier hard-rock tin-lithium-tantalum districts.
The Uis Project is located on EPL 7345 immediately southwest of the operating Uis Tin Mine in Namibia’s Erongo Region, placing Askari directly within the same mineralised corridor being developed by Andrada Mining plc.
Askari noted that the neighbouring Uis Mine hosts a JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate of 77.51 million tonnes grading 0.79% lithium oxide, 0.15% tin and 82 parts per million tantalum, highlighting the fertility and scale of the district.
The company completed 135 trenches covering 7,269 metres across the OP, PS, DP and K9 pegmatite targets, generating 2,098 channel samples during the Phase 1 programme.
At K9 alone, Askari completed 38 trenches covering 781.7 metres and collected 199 channel samples across a pegmatite system now traced continuously for approximately 950 metres.
The trenching programme was conducted at systematic 40-metre intervals across most of the K9 target, materially improving geological understanding and drill confidence ahead of planned reverse-circulation drilling in the second half of 2026.
Executive director Gino D’Anna said K9 was rapidly emerging as a standout polymetallic discovery.
“K9 is shaping up as a standout polymetallic discovery at Uis. Phase I trenching has confirmed broad, continuous mineralisation over a 950m strike, with standout results including up to 4,050ppm tin, 0.29% Li2O, 215ppm tantalum, 2,380ppm rubidium and 479ppm caesium,” D’Anna said.
“These results materially de-risk drilling and strengthen our conviction that K9 sits within a fertile, high-quality mineralised corridor with the scale and commodity mix to capture strong investor attention.”
The strongest tin intercept returned 0.8 metres grading 4,050 parts per million tin within a broader 2.8-metre interval grading 1,810 parts per million tin from trench K9TR31. Other strong tin intersections included 2 metres grading 1,954 parts per million tin, including 1 metre grading 3,030 parts per million tin in K9TR27, 3 metres grading 1,406 parts per million tin in K9TR32 and 0.64 metres grading 2,830 parts per million tin in K9TR01.
Askari said the tin grades compare favourably with those of the neighbouring V1/V2 deposit at the Uis Tin Mine, which carries an average tin grade of 0.15%.
Lithium results returned several intercepts grading between 0.25% and 0.29% lithium oxide, including 0.82 metres grading 0.29% lithium oxide in K9TR21, 1.10 metres grading 0.29% lithium oxide in K9TR29, 0.50 metres grading 0.26% lithium oxide in K9TR25 and 0.30 metres grading 0.26% lithium oxide in K9TR30.
The company said surface weathering may have reduced lithium values near the surface, with fresh-rock drilling expected to return stronger spodumene mineralisation at depth, potentially.
Tantalum mineralisation proved particularly continuous along the full 950-metre strike length, with many trenches returning grades above 80 parts per million tantalum and peak results reaching 215 parts per million.
Among the strongest tantalum intersections were 4.8 metres grading 118 parts per million tantalum in K9TR27, 3.26 metres grading 131 parts per million tantalum in K9TR15, 3.30 metres grading 115 parts per million tantalum in K9TR33 and 2 metres grading 131 parts per million tantalum in K9TR33.
Askari said the tantalum grades compare favourably with the neighbouring Uis Mine resource, which reports average grades ranging from 73 to 90 parts per million.
The project also returned strong rubidium mineralisation, with intervals averaging around 0.1% rubidium oxide and peak values reaching 0.23% rubidium oxide. Key rubidium intersections included 3.26 metres grading 0.18% rubidium oxide, including 2 metres grading 0.23% rubidium oxide in K9TR15, 2.80 metres grading 0.17% rubidium oxide in K9TR27 and 2 metres grading 0.15% rubidium oxide in K9TR30.
Askari compared the rubidium grades favourably with Everest Metals’ Mt Edon Critical Mineral Project in Australia, which hosts a 3.6-million-tonne inferred resource grading 0.22% rubidium oxide.
The K9 pegmatites also returned encouraging caesium mineralisation, with the best results reaching 508 parts per million caesium oxide and several intercepts exceeding 200 parts per million. The strongest caesium intercepts included 0.9 metres grading 508 parts per million caesium oxide in K9TR27, 1.4 metres grading 458 parts per million caesium oxide in K9TR27, 0.44 metres grading 406 parts per million caesium oxide in K9TR27 and 6.15 metres grading 216 parts per million caesium oxide in K9TR33.
Askari said surface weathering may again be suppressing near-surface caesium grades, with fresh-rock drilling expected to test the pegmatite system’s true subsurface potential.
The company has defined a high-priority exploration corridor approximately 15 kilometres long and five kilometres wide across the Uis Project using regional magnetic data and geochemical interpretation.
Future work planned across the project includes second-phase trenching on EPL 7345, additional soil geochemical sampling, mapping, rock-chip sampling, and reverse-circulation drilling at the DP, OP, PS, and K9 pegmatite targets during the second half of 2026.
Askari said the K9 pegmatite system remains open along strike and at depth, with planned drilling designed to test the continuity, geometry and scale of the mineralised body below the weathered surface profile.
