KHAIRABAD TRANSSHIPMENT POINT AFGHANISTAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84T00171R000100290001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 23, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 1, 1983
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000100290001-0
H&M
o ? o
WNINTEL
OM4E?3pG?3E&VOOM MUM
Z-12056/83
OAR-0028/83
DANE 1983
(Copy , 4 2
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000100290001-0
 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000100290001-0
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000100290001-0
 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000100290001-0
KHAIRABAD TRANSSHIPMENT POINT, AFGHANISTAN (S)
INTRODUCTION
1. Since 1979, Khairabad Transshipment Point has been expanded from a small,
predominantly civilian riverport to the major military transshipment point in Afghanistan. This report
provides an imagery-derived analysis of the facility, including the background, expansion, and current
operations as of March 1983, and contains a location map and four annotated photographs. (S/WN)
2. Khairabad Transshipment Point is on the Soviet/Afghan border, 8 nautical miles (nm) east of
Termez, USSR (Figure 1). It is the primary transshipment point for Soviet military equipment and materials
entering Afghanistan. Military equipment, containerized cargo, and POL are brought into Khairabad by
16 river, road, rail, and pipeline and transshipped further into Afghanistan by road and pipeline. (S/WN)
BACKGROUND
3. Prior to the Soviet invasion in December 1979, Khairabad was a small river port used primarily for
the shipment of civilian cargo. It consisted of an earthen wharf, an administration area with several
buildings, a housing area with 18 dwellings, and an open storage area (Figure 2). The wharf contained two
warehouses, eight mobile port cranes, and a POL storage area with 56 horizontal POL storage tanks and
eight fueling positions. The open storage area, approximately 1 nm south of the wharf area, was con-
structed between January and June 1979. The first observed transshipment of military equipment at
Khairabad was identified in the open storage area in early June. The shipment included at least 30
medium tanks and four 122mm howitzers D-30 (inset, Figure 2). (S/WN)
DESCRIPTION
Expansion
4. The facilities at Khairabad have been expanded since 1979 to handle military vehicles, container-
ized cargo, and POL shipped by river, rail, road, and pipeline for transshipment to units of the Soviet 40th
Army' in Afghanistan (Figure 3). The initial improvements were the establishment of a PMP/PPS heavy
ponton bridge over the Amu Darya (river) and the construction of a temporary POL storage facility in
early 1980. By August 1980, three POL pipelines had been constructed across the river, from the Soviet
WNINTEL
Z-12054/83
-1-
SECRET
A
Bm ndery f.Ppneent t on i9
not noceaea.ily aethadtotive.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000100290001-0
 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000100290001-0
Union to the temporary POL storage facility. A POL pipeline was also laid from Khairabad to Pol-e
Khomri in August 1980. Pol-e Khomri, the major Soviet logistical center in Afghanistan, is approximately
halfway between Kabul and Khairabad. A second POL pipeline to Pol-e Khomri was laid in late 1981. By
October 1980, a permanent POL storage facility with a current storage capacity of at least 8,250,000 liters
had been constructed to replace the temporary POL storage facility. A barracks area and a construction
support facility had been built by April 1981. The barracks area consists of seven two-story barracks, 18
one-story barracks, 47 family housing units, and 26 house trailers. The construction support facility
contains a main support area; a cement-mixing plant; a 53-meter, tower-type oil derrick; and two
construction camps. In addition, the Soviets have expanded the facilities at the earthen wharf, in the
open storage area, and in the housing area. (S/WN)
5. Transshipment by rail began in May 1982, when a rail and road bridge over the Amu Darya was
completed. Other facilities completed at this time included a border security checkpoint and a rail-to-
road transfer point (RTP). The RTP, in the center of the facility, consists of eight large transfer sheds, one
small transfer shed, a separately wall-secured transfer shed, two gantry cranes, four offloading platforms,
and several support buildings. The PMP/PPS bridge was removed in early November 1982. (S/WN)
6. The Soviets are continuing to build new facilities at Khairabad. Recent expansion has included
the construction of an RTP on the northeastern edge of the facility, an RTP on the southern edge of the
installation, a POL RTP adjacent to the central RTP, a vehicle maintenance area, and a railspur. The
northeastern RTP, in the midstages of construction, contains six railspurs, one of which is operational. The
southern RTP, in the very early stages of construction, contains one railspur and ground scarring for a
service road and five probable buildings. The nearly complete POL RTP contains six large, vertical POL
storage tanks; eight smaller vertical POL storage tanks; eight horizontal POL storage tanks; three rail-
spurs; one gantry crane; and a fueling shed with at least eight positions. The vehicle maintenance area, in
the late stages of construction, consists of one maintenance building, one grease rack, and two support
buildings. In February 1983, construction began on a new railspur from the central RTP to the open
storage area. (S/WN)
Current Operations
7. Military vehicles and containerized cargo are shipped to Khairabad by road, river, and rail. The
equipment is generally held in various storage areas at the facility, awaiting final movement to units in
Afghanistan. Military vehicles are usually held in the open storage area on the southwest side of the
installation. Vehicles shipped by barge are offloaded into the fence-secured area on the southwest side of
the wharf and later moved to the open storage area. One such delivery was observed on imagery of C
=when 28 newly offloaded tanks and one tank still on a barge were at the wharf (Figure 4). Contain-
erized cargo is offloaded by cranes and temporarily stored in transfer buildings or open storage areas at
the wharf and the RTPs. In the central RTP, large containers arrive on flatcars, are offloaded by gantry
crane, and are eventually loaded onto trucks for delivery to units in Afghanistan (Figure 5). (S/WN)
8. POL is currently shipped to Khairabad by pipeline and barge. It will also be delivered by rail
when construction of the new POL RTP is complete. Three POL pipelines carry fuel from the Soviet
Union to the main POL storage area on the west side of the transshipment point. Barges transfer POL to a
small POL storage depot at the far southwest end of the wharf. The POL is ultimately shipped to
units/depots in Afghanistan by POL tank truck or pipeline. Two pipelines transfer fuel from Khairabad to
Pol-e Khomri, where another POL pipeline continues to the Bagram - Kabul area. (S/WN)
All applicable satellite imagery acquired from
report. (S/WN)
Iwas used in the preparation of this
1. DIA. DDB-1100-UR-81, Ground Order of Battle: USSR (U), Jan 81 (SECRET/NOFORN/WNINTEL*)
Comments and queries regarding this report are welcome. They may be directed to
Forces Division, Imagery Exploitation Group, NPIC,
-2-
SECRET
25X1
25X1
25X1
25X1
2bX1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000100290001-0
 Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012101123: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000100290001-0
Next 3 Page(s) In Document Denied
Q
Declassified in Part- Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012101123: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000100290001-0
 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000100290001-0
Secret
Secret
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000100290001-0