KABUL – *The Afghan government says it has taken stepped-up securitymeasures to secure the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI)pipeline project as it is a major economic opportunity for Afghanistan.*

The 1,814-kilometer gas pipeline will pass through Afghanistan to Pakistanand India. At least 816 kilometers of the pipeline will pass through theterritory of Afghanistan.

The pipeline passes through Herat, Farah, Nimroz, Helmand and Kandaharprovinces of Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, the TAPI pipeline will be constructed alongside theKandahar-Herat Highway in western Afghanistan, and then via Quetta andMultan in Pakistan.

In Herat, the pipeline passes through Keshk, Enjeel, Guzara, Adraskan andShindand districts. Then the pipeline continues its way through Bala Bolokand Bakwa districts in Farah and from there it goes to Dilaram district inNimroz province. From Nimroz, the pipeline goes to Washeer and Nahr-e Sarajdistricts in Helmand province and continues to Maiwand, Zherai, Arghandab,Daman and Spin Boldak districts in Kandahar. From there, it enters Quettaand Multan in Pakistan.

“As far as it belongs to Afghanistan security forces, they are fully readyto maintain security of this project,” President Ashraf Ghani’s deputyspokesman Dawa Khan Minapal told TOLOnews on Friday.

Analysts said the TAPI project can bring changes in people’s lives inAfghanistan and that it will have a positive impact on the country’seconomy.

“By implementation of this project, poverty will be decreased to someextent. Investment will increase, and industry owners and investors willwork here,” economic affairs analyst Taj Mohammad Talash said.

“This project will reduce unemployment rate. It will provided agreat chance for improvement of agriculture, industries and energy sector,”economic affairs analyst Sayed Ghias Saeedi said.

President Ghani on Friday launched work on Afghanistan section of TAPI andmeanwhile attended an event on the completion of the project inTurkmenistan. Addressing the event in Turkmenistan, he said Afghanistanreconnects South Asia with Central Asia.

“Afghanistan’s policy is the connectivity policy, not separation. SouthAsia will be connected with the Central Asia through Afghanistan after morethan a century of separation,” Ghani said. “TAPI is not a project, but aneconomic corridor.”

Taliban in a statement on Friday said the group will help in security ofthe project if needed, “because the outline of the project was firstprepared during the Taliban regime” – 1996 to 2001.

According to the Taliban statement, most areas from which the pipelinepasses through are under control of the group.