ASX-listed Askari Metals has reported “outstanding” Phase I trenching assay results from the K9 pegmatite target at its 100%-owned Uis project, in Namibia, further underscoring the project’s breakout polymetallic potential.

The company says the results confirm extensive mineralisation across tin, lithium, tantalum, rubidium and caesium, strengthening confidence in K9 as a high-priority drill target within a rapidly emerging critical minerals district.

Strategically located on EPL 7345, Askari’s Uis project sits immediately south-west of Andrada Mining’s Uis tin mine, placing the company in the heart of one of the world’s premier hard-rock tin/lithium/tantalum districts.

The neighbouring Uis mine hosts a substantial Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant mineral resource estimate of 77.51-million tonnes at 0.79% lithium oxide, 0.15% tin and 82 ppm tantalum, highlighting the scale, fertility and proven endowment of the mineralised corridor and reinforcing the significant discovery upside emerging across Askari’s ground.

Askari explains that the K9 target sits directly along strike from the B1/C1 pegmatite targets on the adjacent ML129, previously owned by Andrada and now by the Uis Small Miners Association, underscoring its strategic position within a highly prospective and already mineralised corridor.

Importantly, the company notes that previous drilling completed by Andrada in 2023 returned “standout” pegmatite intersections, including drill hole B1_01, which intersected 14.52 m from 15.48 m to 30 m grading 1.38% lithium oxide, 285 ppm tantalum and 0.131% tin, with higher-grade lithium zones of 5 m at 2.32% lithium oxide from 18 m and 2.5 m at 2.04% lithium oxide from 25.5 m to 28 m.

Additional strong results included 12.78 m at 0.74% lithium oxide, 181 ppm tantalum and 0.052% tin in B1_09, and 11.06 m at 0.81% lithium oxide, 1 101 ppm tantalum and 0.033% tin in C1_04.

For investors, Askari says this nearby drilling provides a compelling analogue and materially strengthens the view that K9 is emerging within the same fertile pegmatite trend capable of delivering meaningful polymetallic scale and grade.

The company says these results further highlight K9’s growing polymetallic potential, with planned reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling in the second half of this year set to test the scale, continuity and broader discovery upside of the system.

Askari says exploration across EPL 7345 has already highlighted the scale and quality of the opportunity, with historical mapping, rock chip sampling and two phases of RC drilling returning encouraging tin, tantalum, lithium and rubidium results.

Across the licence, four key pegmatite targets – OP, PS, DP and K9 – have been identified and advanced through detailed exploration, while additional mapped pegmatite zones remain untested and provide further upside as the company continues to build momentum across the broader Uis project.

K9 target executive director Gino D’Anna says the target is shaping up as a standout polymetallic discovery at Uis.

He notes that Phase I trenching has confirmed broad, continuous mineralisation over a 950 m strike, with standout results, including up to 4 050 ppm tin, 0.29% lithium oxide, 215 ppm tantalum, 2 380 ppm rubidium and 479 ppm caesium.

D’Anna explains that these results materially derisk drilling and strengthen the company’s conviction that K9 sits within a fertile, high-quality mineralised corridor with the scale and commodity mix to capture strong investor attention.

“With drilling planned for the second half of this year and more results still to come, we see strong potential for continued news flow as we unlock the broader upside at Uis. In a strong tin and critical minerals market, we believe Uis is increasingly well positioned to deliver meaningful value as exploration momentum builds,” he says.