KABUL. Jan 11 (Interfax-AVN) - Experts from the Russian Emergencies' Ministry and the French ACTED technical cooperation and development agency have almost completed work to clear the tunnel under Salang pass of debris formed when the Taliban exploded its ventilation system.
Head of the Russian team Colonel Nikolai Vdovin told Interfax-Military News Agency on Friday that two weeks ago the obstruction was 650 meters long and now only 25 meters remain to be cleared to restore car and truck traffic.
He said the Russian team completed the clearing of 340 meters of debris from the southern entrance. Explosives were used in the most difficult places. A total of 23 blasts were conducted and over 240 kilos of explosives and 62 artillery shells were used.
According to Vdovin, some 5.5 cubic meters of reinforced concrete rubble were taken out of the tunnel. The ministry's sappers defused some 7,000 mines and other explosive devices in and near the tunnel in the preparatory period and during the restoration work Specialists of Great Britain's Halo Trust Mine Clearance company joined the mien clearance operation several days ago.
After the first stage of the tunnel restoration is completed a convoy of the Russian ministry carrying humanitarian cargo will leave Dushanbe for Kabul. The convoy comprises 21 KamAZ trucks. The second stage which is to take some three to four months envisages restoration of the tunnel's damaged infrastructure, repairs of damaged parts of the motorway on southern and northern slopes of the pass, as well as three destroyed bridges near the Jabal-Ussarj village, Vdovin said.