[KinicsBonee]

I’m putting this one in the war and peace section because it highlights the vulnerability of Kabul for road connection to the rest of Afghanistan

Avalanches Kill Dozens Along Mountain Highway in Afghanistan - NYTimes.com

There are three major roads into Kabul. The south road from Kandahar, the eastern route through Jalalabad and the northern route through Kunduz or Mazar-e-Sharif and the Salang Pass and Tunnel.

The traditional way for armies to control Kabul is to take control of these supply routes. Now the south route is not a viable supply route, in fact supplies have to go south. The eastern route is also very dangerous with the insurgency becoming very active in Nangrahar province as well in the adjoining areas of Pakistan.

Recently the northern route has been the focus of some insurgency mainly in the Kunduz region. ISAF plans to use this northern route as its major supply route to bring supplies into Afghanistan through Tajikistan on the new Freedom Bridge and Kunduz or through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan through Mazar. Both roads converge in the city of Pul-i-Khurmi and then have to go through the Salang tunnel.

This is one of the highest (over 12,000 ft) major highway tunnels in the world and is in serious need of repair and upgrading. It’s over 2 kms long (longer if you add in the snow shed on the south end) and the approaches are prone to being shut down due to avalanches for about 3 months of the year. While the recent events are more serious than usual, this sort of thing happens a couple of times a year. People end up in the Salang tunnel, trapped by avalanches and die of carbon monoxide because they keep their vehicles running so as to not freeze to death.

The road is not predicted to be reopened to traffic for another couple of days. The weather does not look good for helicopter flights for the next few days and the northern airports generally do not have any instruments to allow IFR flights to land.

Another snow fall could keep the pass and tunnel closed for up to a week.

The north of Afghanistan is effectively cut off from the south.

With the south road to Kabul unusable for supply and the eastern road dangerous the capital is also effectively cut off from any mass resupply except by air or high hazard road mission. While ISAF and the expat community can afford the additional expense the common person will soon run out of supplies and if this isolation continues the fragile fabric of Kabul society will tear quickly and dramatically.