Taliban said Monday that construction of the TAPI natural gas pipeline has advanced 14 kilometers inside Afghanistan.
The announcement came during a joint visit to western Herat province by Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy chief minister for economic affairs, and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the national leader of Turkmenistan.
According to a Taliban statement, delegations from both sides inspected the project route and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional economic cooperation.
Baradar described TAPI as a “crucial step” toward regional connectivity and prosperity, and called on neighboring countries and international investors to seize economic opportunities in Afghanistan.
Berdimuhamedov reiterated Turkmenistan’s commitment to completing the pipeline on schedule, saying it remains a top priority for Ashgabat.
The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline is a flagship energy initiative designed to transport natural gas from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh field through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India.
Spanning approximately 1,800 kilometers, the project has faced repeated delays, largely due to conflict and political instability in the region. Work on the project in Afghanistan was first inaugurated by the former president in 2018 in Herat province.
