SUMMARY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96R01136R002605240031-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 18
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 1, 2010
• Sequence Number: 31
• Publication Date: January 25, 1980
• Content Type: REPORT

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The Afghan transportation system, primitive by Western
standards, adequately serves the small requirements of
Afghanistan's agricultural economy. For troop deployment
and resupply of their forces in Afghanistan however, the
In November, prior to the Soviet invasion, delays in
Soviet shipments to Afghanistan were experienced at the Soviet-
to meet their minimal essential needs by air and ground.
transport network. Despite problems created by port and road
congestion at Soviet border points, rebel attacks on LOC's, 25X1
and havoc brought by winter snows, the Soviets have managed
Soviets have relied. on both massive airlifts and the ground
have been the targets of rebel strikes. Soviet units reportedly
river ports. Within Afghanistan, lines of communication (LOC's)
Afghan border; some of this congestion had been relieved by
early January but by mid month transportation bottlenecks
were observed once again at Soviet border points and Afghan
cannot move along the main highways without armored or air
escort. In addition to harassing troop convoys, the insurgents
are disrupting the flow of food and fuel from the countryside
to the cities, which could bring serious winter shortages.
unless the Soviets undertake a major resupply effort. Delays
in the shipment of fuel oil products are currently creating
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internal transport difficulties. Heavy snows are
lead to a rapid improvement in major Afghan lines of communi-
A permanent Soviet presence in Afghanistan. will probably
blocking roads and contributing to shortages.
cations. The priorities established by the Soviets are
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likely
to be expanded internal LOC's and a major bridge crossing
istan's international and domestic road network and upgrade
the Amu Darya River. Such improvements will enhance Afghan-
the USSR's logistic capabilities.in the region.
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 The Current Transport Situation in Afghanistan
Transport congestion created by logistical support of
Soviet forces,.rebel attacks on lines of communication, and
Afghanistan but have not deprived the Soviets of minimum
winter snows have impeded Soviet resupply operations in
included refusing all conventional freight and halting issuance
to alleviate: a buildup of cargoes at.the border points reportedly
Additional steps taken by the Soviets in mid and late November
pose a freeze on all shipments to Afghanistan in November.
points of Kushka and Termez initially led the Soviets to im-
essential requirements. Congestion at the Soviet border
Further west, transportation availability on the route from
alleviated at Termez and freight volumes were exceeding plans.
Early January congestion had been
.of railway shipping-permits-to Afghanistan until March 1980. 25X1
Kushka to the Afghan border city of Towraghondi, however, was
very tight and acceptance of goods was extremely limited.
Freight was moving through the Afghan river port of Jeyretan
without difficulty, but the river port of Shirr Khan was re-
By mid January congestion was once again building up at 25X1
portedly blocked.
Soviet border points and-Afghan river ports.
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communication by felling trees, seizing bridges, and opening
Within Afghanistan the rebels have cut vital lines of
floodgates on mountain streams.
could bring serious winter shortages unless the Soviets under-
flow of food and fuel from the countryside to the cities, which
the main highways without-armored or air escort. In addition,
to harassing troop convoys, the insurgents are disrupting the
difficult terrain. Soviet army units cannot move along
In particular, the Soviets have had problems keeping the road
open between Termez and Kabul, which passes through extremely
As of January, the Afghanistan government tried to give
.take a major resupply effort.
national carrier had begun commercial operations and that-Kabul
normally. An Ariana.Airlines spokesman stated that the inter
the appearance that their civil airlines were functioning
airport was open to_commercial traffic. However, the Afghanistan
government was unhappy with slow deliveries of aviation related
petroleum products from the Soviet Union. They asked the.Soviets
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to expedite the delivery of several varieties of fuels, oils,
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Delays in the shipment of fuel oil products are also
being noted creating internal transport difficulties in
Afghanistan, and the Soviets are being urged to make de-
liveries as soon as possible.
Afghan
provincial authorities are reporting critical shortages of
food and fuel in all provinces. Heavy
tributing to these shortages with many roads blocked.
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The Afghan Transportation System
agricultural economy. The system is almost entirely based on
is adequate for the modest requirements of the predominantly
The transportation network of landlocked Afghanistan
waterways and rudimentary civil aviation. There is no rail-
a limited highway network supplemented by a few navigable
enhanced by highway improvements since the 1960's, particularly
road system. Overall internal transport capability has
USSR.and Pakistan. and by a major waterway -- the Amu Darya --
which forms part of the northern Afghan border with the USSR.
are provided by good highway links to .the rai.l.:systems of the 25X1
Afghanistan to Pakistan. International overland connections
along the western route extending from the. USSR across
tion in Afghanistan. They form a limited but adequate trans-
Highways are by far the most important mode of transporta
Highway Network
tration of roads is north and south of the Hindu Kush mountains,
economic considerations of the country. The greatest concen-
economy. The pattern of development of the highway network
has been largely dictated by the main geographic features and
traffic requirements of Afghanistan's predominately agricultural
.portation network for both the domestic and international
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.but the more important part of the system consists.of a
circumferential route from which radiate feeder roads to
interior points.
International Highway Links
crossings shared with the Soviet Union. From these crossings,
Principal international road links are four border
are hard surface, all weather routes of good capacity while two
ternal highway system. (See Table 1.) Three of these roads
five-roads lead southward and connect to Afghanistan's in-
transshipped by ferry from Soviet rail and road lines which
from the border towns of Shir Khan and Jeyretan carry traffic
southward. The other hard surfaced routes. leading southward
terminating just inside the border are transshipped and trucked
western Afghanistan. Goods shipped by the Soviet rail line
the Soviets in. the recent invasion as a- crossing-point into
south. from the.Soviet town of.Kushka to.Her.at andwas used by
are gravel and of limited capacity. A concrete road leads
parallel but do not now cross the border. To increase the
economic and military usefulness of the Jeyretan route, a
road and rail bridge is scheduled to be constructed, the first
USSR. These, like the connection at Shir Kahn, are serviced 25X1
bridge to be built on the border over the Amu Darya. From
the border towns of Keleft and Hazareh Toghay to Mazar-i-Sharif,
two secondary roads provide additional connections with the
by ferries across the Amu Darya.
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route from Kabul east to Towr Kham, thence by the Kyber Pass
capacity between Afghanistan and Pakistan. These include the
There are two principal all-weather routes of significant
Peshawar and Chaman are connected by rail with Karachi, the
border area of Spin Buldak, Afghanistan and Chaman, Pakistan.
to Peshawar, Pakistan, and the road from Qandahar to the
closest Pakistani seaport and a principal outlet for Afghan
to Herat road, provides the Soviet Union with excellent access
Although it is sometimes closed by extensive flash flooding
and drifting sands, this route, in connection with the Kushka
hard surfaced route from Herat to the border near Islam Qala.
Connection with Iran is primarily by one high capacity,
istan's seaborne trade.
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prevalent throughout the route. It is passable to trucks and
at a time and by heavy rains in the spring. It is subject
to landslides and washouts and narrow bridges and fords are
Though not a major link, a road which connects Afghanistan
and China through the Wakhan corridor should be noted. Beginning
at Kunduz as a hard surfaced, high capacity road, numerous
obstacles limit its extensive use as a major trade route with
China. The road is subject to snow blockage in winter for weeks
Eshkashem the route is a low capacity gravel road which becomes
busses for only a portion of its length.. Beyond Taloqan to
a motorable natural earth track to Qala Panjeh and then con-
tinues as a trail to the border with China.
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Domestic Highway System
concrete roadway turns northward and continues to Herat. This
route is a paved, all weather road of substantial capacity with
skirting the rugged Hindu Kush Mountains. From Qandahar,?a
The primary section of the domestic highway network is -a.
U-shaped, bituminous surfaced section which runs from
Mazar-i-Sharif in the north southward to Kabul and Qandahar,
which are sometimes impassable due to weather conditions.
roads and by about 14,600 kilometers of natural earth roads
stantially expanded over the past years. The paved highways
are supplemented by over 4,200 kilometers of secondary gravel
economic development, and, with foreign aid, has been sub-
Road construction has received top priority in Afghanistan's
is estimated to be about 21,500 kilometers in length, of which
approximately 2,726 kilometers are paved primary highways
which will eventually be extended in a ring around the country.
The primary and secondary road system inside Afghanistan
portions have been paved, a section between Herat and Sheberghan
sections built by both the US (Kabul - Qandahar) and USSR
in the 1960's. From Herat eastward to Mazar-i-Sharif the
condition of the circumferential route is poor. Although
has a gravel and improved earth surface, thereby severely
limiting sustained vehicular traffic. Poor weather conditions,
especially in winter, also limit full use of this roadway.
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full operation, this route will provide the Soviet Union with
although a final completion date is not available. When in
Soviet engineering surveys for this section have been finished
of the mountainous interior. The main circumferential route
all major population and agricultural areas north and south
good motorable route to the Iranian border. It will also com-
plete the circumferential highway around the country, linking
greater access to the northern section of Afghanistan and a
is supplemented by several throusand kilometers.of low to
moderate capacity gravel and natural earth roads throughout
the interior.
only one that has been developed and is utilized by modern river
craft. The Helmand River, which originates in the central
mountain area and flows south and west to Iran, is navigable by
native craft for 470 km upstream from the Iranian border. The
ways. The Kabul, the Helmand, and the Amu Darya and their
tributaries, are Afghanistan's main rivers but the Amu Darya,
which forms part of the northern border with the USSR, is the
Afghanistan has about 1,200 kilometers of navigable water-
Afghan Waterways
Kabul River, which also originates in the central mountain
area, is navigable at Jalalabadbut with minimum local
traffic only. We doubt that it is navigable in the Pakistan
border area.
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on the Amu Darya River. Service is between the Soviet rail
Most of the trade between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union
has moved by barges of the Soviet Central Asian Shipping Line
capacities up to 10 tons. For most, propulsion is manual.
types of primitive design and construction, although some have
160 horsepower diesel tugs, and self-propelled barges with
capacities up to 500 tons. Afghan craft are mainly native
as Shir Khan. Soviet vessels operating on the river include
Line operate throughout the year on the Amu Darya as far east
Steamers and barges of the Soviet Central Asian Shipping
served river port of Termez,__,the Afghan port of Shir Khan
and the transloading point at Jeyretan.
The most important Afghan river port is at Shir Khan
across the Amu Darya from an abandoned section of a Soviet
rail spur that goes to Pyandzh, USSR. It has a POL tank farm
with a capacity of over 46,000 barrels, and at least 2 quays
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There are no port facilities across from Termez, USSR --
the main Soviet rail yard north of the Afghan border --- but the
river bank at Jeyretan in Afghanistan is used.as a transshipment
with 10 cranes of capacities up to 20 tons.
point.
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Civil Air
civil airline system in Afghanistan consisted of two scheduled
Prior to the late December invasion by the Soviets, the
720, Ariana's route network included London, Amsterdam, Rome,
is the country's only international carrier. With asmall fleet
of one McDonald Douglas DC-l0, two Boeing 727's, and'one Boeing
airlines. The government controlled Ariana Airlines
of aircraft and non-adherence to pre-flight rules in 1979,
Paris, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Tehran, and Moscow. Although there
were some reports of maintenance irregularities, overloading
Afghanistan has twenty-eight civil airfields of which
25 percent are paved. Kabul International and Qandahar Inter-
national are the country's principal airfields. (See Table 2.)
Both provide all weather services, good support facilities and
the only civil air fields with hangers. Considering the size
airfields.
Airfields
..the country. The aircraft flown -- the Russian Yak-40 and the
Canadian Twin Otter -- were adaptable to the secondary Afghan
Bakhtar Airlines, the domestic airline carrier, performed
scheduled service and nonscheduled feeder operations throughout
Ariana transported passengers, cargo, and mail regularly.
section, Afghanistan had no need for more sophisticated air-
ports. The remaining fields -- mostly located in the northern
of the airfleet and the growth patterns of the civil air
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Afghans appeared to have enough fields to meet their normal
workships and other support buildings. As of December, the
regions of the country -- have minor fuel storage facilities,
airline needs. Major airfield improvements were not in
evidence.
Trade Patterns
Afghanistan's foreign trade volume
$285 million a year during the same period. Kabul's principal
million annually during 1974-78 while imports have reached only
standards in insignificant; exports have averaged only US $272
ports -- and Japan, which accounts for some 27 percent of total
USSR, with natural gas the key export to the Soviet Union.
Other leading trading partners are the UK and Pakistan -
together accounting for 30 percent of Afghanistan's total ex
of Kabul's exports and accounting for a quarter of its imports.
Refined products are the most important Afghan import from the
Afghanistan's leading trading partner, absorbing ,40 percent
exports consist of natural gas (via pipeline to the USSR)
and primary and processed agricultural products. Imports
are mainly simple manufactures, transportation equipment,
petroleum products, and textiles. The Soviet Union is
imports.
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the USSR is carried by barges owned and operated by the Soviet
At present the bulk of the trade between Afghanistan and
the main, these ply between the Soviet rail served river port
Central Asian Shipping Line along the Amu Darya river.
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The Soviets currently are consolidating their positions
on all of Afghanistan's major exit and entry points, securing.
their main supply routes and resupplying by road and air. Indi-
Outlook
transportation routes through Pakistan, the USSR, and-Iran.
time required to make overland journeys via the existing major
of Termez and the Afghan ports at Termez and Shir Khan.
Western trade has been adversely affected by the length o
a rapid improvement in major Afghan lines of communications
manent Soviet presence in Afghanistan is likely to presage
cations are that they are preparing for a long stay. A per-
likely to be 1) an accelerated time table to bridge the Amu
Darya River in the Termez-Jeyretan area. 2) Rapid implementa-
tion of plans to upgrade the major circumferential route link-
ing Kushka, Herat, Qandahar, Kabul, and Shir Khan. 3) Upgrad-
ing the road system leading west of this circumferential road
to Iran. Such improvements will significantly improve
(LOC's). The priorities established by the Soviets are
provide the Soviets with enhanced logistic capabilities in the
Afghanistan's international and domestic road network and
region.
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road-:'transloading and transshiment center is to be established. By constructing a
constructed between Termez to'a point 12 km inside Afahanistan, where a rail/
complete at an estimated cost of $50 million., across the Amu Darya
River in the Tennez-Jeyretan area. In addition, a new rail line will be
way bridge, which will take between four and five years to
point of view is the revival of the plan to build a rail/high
The most significant project from an economic and military
of the proposed bridge and route development is economic. How
ever, from the military point of view, completion of the route
will provide the USSR with a more direct route into Afghanistan.
costs and speeding the transit of goods. The primary purpose
and out of barges will be eliminated, thus reducing transport
road and rail link; over the river, double handling of cargo into
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The other projects under a new agreement include the supply
of equipment and materials for:
upgrading of the existing road from Qonduz to
Shir Khan;
the completion of the roads from Sheberghan
westwards to Herat and from Talogan to Feysabad.-
This involves the reconstruction and-
realign-ment of new sections between Sheberghan and
Herat and between Talogan and.Feysabad.
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Afghanistan: Selected International Road Links
i>/Shir Than 425 kms
Kabul/Dowshi 203 Ions
Surface Type
Dowshi/Shir.Khan 222 kms bituminous
:ti aebabad/Jeyretan 55 kms bituminous
'4azar-e-Sharif/
F.azareh Toghay 64 kms gravel
Herat/T wr Ghundi _ 116 kms
Surface
Condition
Bridges
41, longest 145 meters
across the Dorra Andorab
River
4, longest 110 meters
across the Khanabead
River
combined road and rail.
bridge with a length of
800 meters under con-
struction across the
Amu Darya. River
poor to fair
poor to good
fair
Tunnels/Ferries Terrain
1 ferry across Amu
Darya River. Capable
of transporting
heavy vehicles and
equipment
ferry fran Keleft undulating
services this cross
ing
Soviet ferry capable
of transporting
heavy vehicles and
equipment crosses the
Amu Darya River
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flat to hilly
Capac
(MTS
7300-9100
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2bA]
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(Table 1 continued)
Afghanistan: Selected International Road Links (continued)
Route
Surface
Length Surface Type Condition
Bridges
Tunnels/Ferries
Pakistan
Kabul/Towr Khan
276 kms bituminour good
14, longest 183 meters
8 tunnels, longest
concrete
across the Chapriar Rid
33 meters at Kilanetex
35
Kardahar/spin
Buldak
112 Ions
bituminous
good
7, longest 350 meters
across the Arghastan
River
Herat/Islam Qala
124 kms
bituminous
good
2, longest 274 meters
China
Kunduz/Eorder
449 kms
Kunduz/M anabad a
26 lam
bituminous
good
Khanabad/
Feyzabad
260 kms
gravel
fair
7, longest 239 meters
across the Bangi River
Feyzabad/
Eshkashan
148 kms
gravel
fair
1, with a length of
10.5 meters across the
Eshkashem/Qala
Panjehh
101 Ions
earth poo
r to fai
Yakhshera River
r
Qala Pan'eh/
260 kms
earth poo
r to fai
r
Border
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Terrain Capaci
(MTS )
undulating to
mountainous
flat to undulating 8100-9000
.undulating
undulating to 100-700
mountainous
hilly to mountainous 0-100
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Afghanistan: Major Civil Airfields
December 1979
Kandahar (Indernational) Asphalt
Kabul (International) Concrete
Herat Concrete
Kunduz Asphalt
Mazar-i-Sharif Asphalt
Jalalabad Asphalt
Maimana Gravel
Runways
Dimentions
(meters)
3,200 x 45
2,800 x 45
2,500 x 45
2,000 x 45
2,000 x 45
1,850 x 45
1,500 x 30
Function
Civil
Civil
Civil
Civil
Civil
Civil
Civil
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