Русская версияThe railway would connect the main German logistics base in
Afghanistan, at Mazar-i-Sharif, with the town of Hairatan on the
Uzbek border, where a bridge was erected by the Soviets in 1982
crossing the Amudarya border river, German weekly
Der Spiegel
reported on Saturday, Aug.
30.
This would enable a direct connection to the Uzbekistan rail
network and to the Uzbek city of Termez, where the German air force
has its main local logistics site for incoming supplies from
Germany.
Germany has an agreement with Russia permitting it to transport
supplies via rail through Russia to Afghanistan. The new link would
make resupplying Germany's base in Mazar-i-Sharif, its largest in
Afghanistan, less of a logistic challenge.
The newsmagazine said the military hoped that the German Aid
Ministry and international organizations would contribute to the
cost of building the line, since the link would also boost the
economy of the region.
No costing estimates for the project had been made yet.
The idea for the railway route dated back to Soviet times, when
engineers proposed a 200-kilometer line from Hairatan via Mazar to
Pul-i-Khumri, but this was never built.
(Deutsche Welle)
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