14 Kilometres Of TAPI Pipeline Completed Inside Afghanistan, Says Project Head

The head of the TAPI gas pipeline project in Afghanistan has announced that 14 kilometres of the pipeline have now been completed within Afghan territory.

According to a statement released by the Taliban governor’s office in Herat, TAPI Project Director Abdullah Youf also confirmed that an additional 24 kilometres of the pipeline route have been levelled and prepared for construction.

The TAPI pipeline named after the participating countries of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India is a strategically significant infrastructure project designed to transport natural gas across South and Central Asia. The pipeline will extend 1814 kilometres in total, including 214 kilometres in Turkmenistan, 774 kilometres in Afghanistan, and 826 kilometres in Pakistan, before reaching Fazilka in India.

During a recent meeting with Youf, Herat’s Taliban-appointed governor, Noor Ahmad Islamjar, pledged full cooperation and facilitation to accelerate the pipeline’s construction through western Afghanistan.

The pipeline is expected to deliver up to 33 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually from the Galkynysh gas field in southern Turkmenistan. Its planned route will pass through Herat and Kandahar in Afghanistan, Quetta and Multan in Pakistan, and into northern India.

First launched nearly nine years ago in Herat with the participation of leaders from all four nations, the $10 billion project has faced repeated delays due to political tensions and prolonged instability—particularly within Afghanistan.

However, following renewed talks last year, the Taliban administration and Turkmen authorities agreed to resume construction inside Afghanistan. Taliban officials claim the project could generate up to $400 million in annual revenue for the country once operational.