Afghanistan–Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge

The Afghanistan–Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge is a road and rail bridge across the river Amu Darya, connecting the town of Hairatan in the northern Balkh province of Afghanistan with Termez in the Surxondaryo Region of Uzbekistan.[1] The bridge was built by the Soviet Union and opened in 1982[2] to supply its troops in Afghanistan.

An Afghan Border Police officer standing on the Afghan side of the Afghanistan–Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge.

Overview

It is the only fixed link across the Uzbek–Afghan border, located some 75 km north of the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The nearest other bridge across the Amu Darya is some 120 kilometers (74.5 mi) to the west, a pipeline bridge crossing the Turkmen–Afghan border from/to the Lebap Region.

The bridge was closed in May 1997 when Taliban forces attacked the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, and Uzbekistan feared a spreading of the disturbances to their own country. It reopened on December 9, 2001.[3] Work began in January 2010 to extend the railway to Mazar-i-Sharif,[4] which was completed in November of the same year.

See also

References
  1. "Hairatan and the Friendship Bridge".
  2. "USSR-Afghan link". Modern Railways. August 1982. p. 342.
  3. "Breakthrough in Afghan aid effort". BBC News. 2001-12-09.
  4. "Construction of Afghan railway launched". Railway Gazette International. 2010-01-27. Archived from the original on 2010-03-03.

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