Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – Afghanistan has achieved a significant milestone by manufacturing its first-ever domestic railway engine, marking a step forward in its transportation and infrastructure development. The Taliban government announced on Friday that the country is poised to operate its locally-made trains in the near future.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesperson for the Taliban, shared the news on X (formerly Twitter), along with a video showcasing the railway engine towing three bogies. He revealed that Afghanistan’s National Development Corporation (NDC) was behind the project. “For the first time, the country’s National Development Corporation has built a train. With the ongoing construction of railway tracks, Afghanistan will soon operate its locally-made trains,” Mujahid said.
In a related development, Afghan and Kazakh officials convened in Kabul on Thursday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the railway sector, as reported by Afghan state-run media. During the meeting, Kairat Turbayev, Kazakhstan’s deputy minister for trade, highlighted ongoing projects led by Kazakh companies in Afghanistan and expressed interest in using Afghanistan as a transit route for commercial and agricultural goods.
Additionally, Turbayev conveyed Kazakhstan’s readiness to invest in Afghanistan’s railway infrastructure, according to Bakhtar News Agency.
The announcement comes as the Taliban government continues its efforts to rebuild the country following its return to power in August 2021, after the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces that ended a two-decade-long war.
