cable- About 200 km south of the Afghan capital, Kabul, Haji Hafeez Jakri was standing next to his truck parked on the outskirts of the old road leading to Kandahar.
Parts of the road turned into clay pools due to the rain, and repeated breakdowns caused a double at the time of the journey, which is supposed to take only 6 hours.
While the clay shakes off his shoes, he said, “If they completed the restoration of the road as they promised, we would have brought the goods at half the time.”
The path that Jakri suffers is not just a local road.
Kabul Highway – Kandahar .. Return to the spine
The Taliban government is betting on the project to rehabilitate the Kabul-Kandahar highway along 483 km, which connects the capital to 5 main states: Kabul, Locker, Ghazni, Zabel, and Kandahar. This road is a vital artery for trade and mobility, and a basic pillar in linking the south to the center.
Historically, work on this road began in the 1950s with the support of the USAID (USAID), then it was later developed in the 1970s, but it was severely damaged during successive wars, especially in the 1990s and the period after 2001, as a result of repeated bombings and the absence of maintenance.
Its infrastructure has caused tragic traffic accidents, and made the flights to it takes many times the usual time.
A number of drivers to whom “Al -Jazeera Net spoke” says that the road is “a daily threat to life”, especially in mountainous areas and sharp turns.
Esmat Allah Aziz, from the state of Ghazni, tells how his brother lost two buses collision with a deep hole, adding, “Reforming this road does not only mean facilitating trade, but saving the lives of people.”
Connect the north to the East and the South
Parallel to the rehabilitation of the highway, the government is implementing projects to connect remote areas to each other and enhance national bonding. Among the most prominent of these projects:
- Karan Manjan Road – Baron: It connects my states with Bakhshan and Norstan, and extends over 175 km, 104 km is packed so far. “The road not only serves the local residents, but rather connects the north to the east, and facilitates commercial communication with Pakistan through the Shah Selim Corridor,” said Hafez Mawlawi, Naqib Allah Furqani, Director of Engineering at the Private Defense Brigade. The project is expected to reduce the distance between a cable and Bedakhshan by more than 230 km.
- Brian Benjshir Road – Pahkir Bakhshan: 210 kilometers long, and 148 km was packed. It aims to reduce the distance between the capital and a state in Bakhshan, and enable heavy vehicles crossing, which enhances local development opportunities.
Saling Tunnel .. Restoration of the Hinduush mountain artery
The Saling Road is one of the most prominent vital corridors connecting northern Afghanistan to the center of it, and passes through a 2.7 -km mountain tunnel in the Hinduush mountain range.
This road was built with my Soviet support in the 1960s, and one of the pillars of economic communication between the north and the south formed.
But the tunnel was negligent and vandalized due to wars and snows. In 2023, the government launched a major project to rehabilitate it, which included concrete pouring into the tunnel and the restoration of the collapsed corridors.
Abdel -Ghani Brader, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, stated that the project is the second largest national project after the Qosh Tabah channel, stressing its importance in improving safety and facilitating internal trade.
Promises with sustainable infrastructure
According to the Ministry of Public Works, more than 80 road projects have been completed or launched during the past year, ranging from rehabilitation of highways, building bridges, and linking rural villages to urban centers.
The technical deputy of the Ministry, Al -Mawlawi Abdel Karim Fateh, stated that the ministry is seeking to build a modern national network that meets international standards. “We have completed the restoration of more than 1698 kilometers of asphalt roads, and we use updated maps and modern building techniques to ensure durability for decades,” he added.
“The road projects are not just asphalt, but rather development tools that play a direct role in reviving the economy.”
He stressed that these projects contributed to reducing transportation costs by up to 30%, creating thousands of temporary and permanent jobs, and improving the access of agricultural products to the markets, despite the difficulties facing the government in financing and transporting equipment to mountainous areas.
Towards China .. Hope in a corridor and a brother
Government ambition is not limited to improving internal connection, but rather exceeds a regional penetration, especially towards China.
In the far northeast of the country, the authorities began to build a land road through a corridor and a brother towards the Chinese border, as part of plans to join the Beijing Belt and Road Initiative.
Officials hope that this project will turn into a new commercial outlet linking Afghanistan to China and Central Asia. Observers say that the success of the Walan-Kulayan project may cause a major strategic shift; Since it connects 3 central geographical masses: China, South Asia, and Central Asia.
Limited financing .. and questions about transparency
In light of the freezing of assets and the absence of international aid, the government depends on customs and taxes, as well as limited support from countries such as China and Turkey.
Bid that some reports indicated that contracts were granted without open competition, raising questions about transparency and contracting mechanisms.
Beyond roads .. Does the asphalt lead to development?
Analysts believe that road projects may be an entrance to enhance the economy and prove government merit, but they warn that these projects remain formal if they are not associated with structural reforms, active external partnerships, and real community participation.
In the end, the big question remains: Will the Taliban succeed in using the infrastructure as an economic lever? Or that the asphalt alone is not sufficient to cross Afghanistan from isolation to stability?
