The ruling Taliban movement in Afghanistan has announced that it is ready to create special forces to ensure the security of the transnational TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline project, Interfax reports.
"With the restoration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, complete security has been provided in the country, which gives more opportunities to implement this project now than ever before," the office of the Taliban government's deputy prime minister for economic affairs said in a statement.
"If necessary, the Islamic Emirate is ready to form a special force to protect the project. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan regards the reconstruction of the country and the revitalization of its economic infrastructure as its responsibility and believes that the political, security and economic prosperity of the region is the common responsibility of the member states," the statement said. .
An official statement on economic issues regarding TAPI and other national projects, released on Saturday evening, said that "a significant economic project at the regional level was initiated during the first Taliban rule in Afghanistan (1996-2001)," but the American occupation Afghanistan caused a delay in its completion."
Last week, the General Director of TAPI - Pipeline Company Limited (TPCL) Muhammetmyrat Amanov, at the head of the delegation of Turkmenistan, met in Kabul with the leadership of the power block of the movement: representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense and the Taliban Main Intelligence Directorate.
"Director of the Department of Public Protection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mawlawi Hamas, in his speech, assured that the TAPI project is vital for the Afghan people and that the Islamic Emirate will do everything possible to ensure their safety," the Taliban Interior Ministry press center said.
The TAPI project (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) provides for the construction of a transnational gas pipeline passing through four countries. Gas pipeline with a capacity of 33 billion cubic meters gas per year will pass from the Turkmen field "Galkynysh" through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar, the Pakistani Quetta and Multan to the city of Fazilka in western India. The total length of the gas pipeline is 1,814 km, of which 207 km - through the territory of Turkmenistan, 774 km - through Afghanistan and 826 km - through the territory of Pakistan to the border with India.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
January 23, 2023