KABUL: Afghanistan will raise a 7,000-member security force to guard the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (Tapi) gas pipeline project, Radio Pakistan reported.
Afghan Mines and Petroleum Minister Daud Shah Saba told the country's Upper House of Parliament that the force will provide security during the implementation of the project and demining the route of the pipeline.
Saba said procurement for demining will be complete by next month and the work on the clearing of the pipeline passage would begin in April 2016.
Construction on the $10 billion Tapi pipeline began earlier this December some 25 years after the inception of the project. The pipeline is to be completed by December 2019, the Turkmen president said at the groundbreaking ceremony in Ashgabat.
Earlier this month, Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov ordered state companies Turkmengaz and Turkmengazneftstroi to begin building the isolated republic's section of the pipeline.
Overall, the pipeline will stretch 1,800 kilometres and is likely to cost more than $10 billion.
The Tapi project could help ease growing energy deficits in Asian giants Pakistan and India.
For Turkmenistan, which has been hit by low energy prices and dependence on China for the vast majority of its gas sales, Tapi is a key opportunity to diversify its exports.
But uncertainty hangs over the costly project. Aside from the risks associated with a link traversing war-torn Afghanistan, the four-country consortium has yet to confirm the participation of a foreign commercial partner willing to help finance it.
The project is politically complex, requiring cooperating governments, and logistically challenging, as the pipeline would pass through areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan plagued by Taliban and separatist insurgents.
Comments (27) Closed
Who will guard the security force
@syed abbas....Taliban will guard them
Pakistan can bring the gas pipeline from India, and connect it to the existing infrastructure in Baluchistan for a fraction of the price. It makes no sense to bring this pipeline from Turkmenistan to Pakistan.
Can't trust!
bigots
Afghan Security Forces are not in a position to take care of their Capitl Kabul, how can they take care of TAPI pipeline? Plus these 7000 Forces will be Taliban sympathisers.
India will strengthen them, don't worry.
what a joke by minister 7000 troops of that country whose forces already lost their land in the hands of Taliban and currently one of important district capture by Taliban. i do not know why our minters show a pigeon character and all the time close the eyes in the front of storm.
Strong Afghan Security?
The best joke of the 2015.
Afghanistan may be war torn and a weak nation now but India is behind them. The Aryans are strong in India and will rise again in Afghanistan. We stand behind our afghan Aryan brothers.
Afghan Army is trained by the best army/trainers from Euorpe and The U.S.A. No question can be asked on that!
Some comments in here just shows jealously. Nothing else.
The American pipeline won't last a day in Afghanistan. Better for Pakistan to go for IP.
@Vic ...Aryans in India???? Never heard of Aryan invasion in Indian land except it was in Pakistani land. India has no connection with afghanitan only Pakistan has cuz Pakistan has more pashtun /afghani population than Afghanistan's total population of 32 million, Pakistanis shares long border with them. What India is trying hard for Afghanistan and iran please concentrate on your own neighbors.
@Desi Dimag So India is stronger then NATO and the United States, where they cant doing anything India will succeed?
@Vic There are no Aryans in India , now we in Pakistan have blood ties with Afghan and Iran also we have same features, so come out of your fairyland make believe world.
@Saqlain. Great suggestion! You might recollect that Modi in his first budget allotted IR500B for a pipeline in India to the Wagha border to deliver Iranian gas to Pak at cost price, cheaper than an ordinary Indian pays. With the thaw in Indo-Pak relations, this project needs to be considered seriously. Incidentally, India seems to be able to obtain gas & oil at cheaper prices than Pakistan!
And can anyone tell me Who will guard these security force ?????????
@Mojib Afghan Yeah... Excellent performance by Afghan Army during last 10 years is quite visible
TAPI is an over ambitious project likely to end up in a fiasco like whole imaginary planning of US and India viz.a.viz Afghanistan. A risk taken to punish Iran's IPI project. Let Afghanistan govt protect itself from its own Taliban before protecting TAPI project.
They should wait untill taliban occupy afghanistan
This is more of a US project. Going for TAPI is an extremely bad business when we have the bileteral IP.
@Desi Dimag .......What is India doing to help them against Taliban controlling Afghan areas of their choice?
@Mojib Afghan ......Those Europeans and Americans are themselves being thrashed by Taliban.
@Atam Vetta .......Controlling Afghanistan and its affairs is far beyond the capacity of Modi.
There are so many comments concerning security but do consider that US, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan are hoping for a break through through talks. Though the emerging concern arising from Mullah Mansur's meeting with president Putin as per reported in the media could make it harder.
@Kamal Pasha we are well capable of controlling Afghanistan. Afghan army's capability is not a question for us but a concern for you. self explanatory