Taliban Opens 121-km Wakhan Transit Road Linking Afghanistan to China Amid Security Doubts

The Taliban’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development inaugurated the 121-kilometre Wakhan Transit Road on Oct. 4, extending from the Broghil border area through Badakhshan’s Wakhan district to the Chinese frontier. Minister Abdul Latif Mansour called the corridor politically, economically and strategically vital, stressing that it was designed and built solely by Afghan engineers and cost 365 million Afghanis.

Governor Rahmatullah Najib hailed the opening as a milestone after decades of conflict. The Taliban hopes the route will provide direct access to Chinese markets and the Belt and Road Initiative, reducing reliance on the Pakistan-controlled trade corridor. However, China has not formally recognized the crossing, pointing to security worries about Uyghur separatists and demanding that the Taliban prevent the road’s use for militant infiltration. As a result, the road’s potential as a trans-regional trade artery remains uncertain.