London, May 18 (TNS): Natural Resources Monitoring Network (NRMN) has raised concerns over the growing security threat posed to the planned Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, British media reported on Friday.
It cited this week’s fierce fighting in the centre of the city of Farah in western Afghanistan as evidence that the Afghan government lacks the will to take security measures seriously enough.
Reports from May 16 suggested the Afghan government had with US air support pushed back the attacking Taliban forces from Farah, with just “subdued” fighting continuing on the city’s outskirts. But NRMN chief Ibrahim Jaffari said: “Recently there have been indications that the government is step by step excluding TAPI from its priorities, because the recent efforts to take over Farah show that the government has not done anything to ensure the security of the TAPI gas pipeline.”
Afghanistan’s interior and defence ministries have previously said that they have outlined a comprehensive security plan to ensure safety for the $10bn TAPI project. The issue is coming more into focus now because the Taliban have engaged on their annual spring offensive. The pipeline is to pass through the Herat, Farah, Nimroz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan.
In late February, there was some surprise when, shortly before the launch of construction works on the Afghan segment of the pipeline, the Taliban pledged their cooperation and protection for the project noting its importance to building up Afghanistan’s economic infrastructure.
Analysts said the militants were no doubt eyeing a share of economic rewards from the realisation and operation of the pipeline.
Courtesy: bne IntelliNews
