Afghanistan has inaugurated a 121-kilometre unpaved road through the Wakhan Corridor in northeastern Badakhshan, establishing road connectivity towards China's Xinjiang region.
The project took about 2 years to complete and cost 365 million Afghanis, according to the government. Rural Rehabilitation and Development Minister Abdul Latif Mansour described the road as strategically, politically and economically important for Afghanistan.
Local construction and regional access
Afghan engineers completed the project without assistance from foreign engineers or advisers, the minister said. The government presented the work as an example of local technical capacity and infrastructure development.
The Wakhan Corridor is a narrow strip of land in Badakhshan, situated between Tajikistan and Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region. The new route is expected to make travel easier in the remote area and strengthen Afghanistan's links towards China.
The government has said infrastructure projects in less-developed provinces are among its priorities. It also views the road as a way to support trade and connectivity while advancing Afghanistan's strategic and economic interests.
Pakistan is separately seeking stronger connectivity with China through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, which is expected to be completed by 2030.
