Salang Highway Reopens as Taliban Complete Major Repairs

The Taliban administration has announced that the main route of the Salang Highway will reopen on Monday, allowing all vehicles to resume transit through the corridor. The highway is one of the country’s key transportation routes, connecting Kabul with the northern provinces and playing a vital role in trade and transit across Afghanistan.

Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Works, stated that reconstruction efforts have been completed in three major segments of the highway — Northern Salang, Southern Salang, and the Doshi–Khenjan section — in accordance with the current solar year’s planned schedule. He added that some secondary work on the project is ongoing.

While the reopening is expected to significantly ease transport and connectivity, infrastructure experts have raised concerns over the lack of transparency in implementing major projects and the shortage of technical oversight under Taliban management. Residents of northern regions have also stressed that the highway must be rebuilt according to international technical standards to avoid repeated closures and avalanches during the winter months.