The strategically vital Salang tunnel linking northern and southern Afghanistan has been reopened to vehicles after thousands of tonnes of debris were removed from its confines.
The halo trust de-mining agency said on Monday that the first cars and trucks were now using the tunnel, although electric lighting had been installed along only two-thirds of its length.
The 3.2-kilometre tunnel is around four kilometres above sea level, making it the highest passage of its kind in the world.
Afghanistan's interim government is yet to announce a date for an official re-opening, although sources said that it could be delayed until a major Russian aid convoy retraces the route once taken by invading Soviet forces through the tunnel in mid-February.
The tunnel, about 80 kilometres north of Kabul, is the main pass through the Hindu Kush mountains dividing north and south Afghanistan.
Bureau Report
