Kohat Tunnel

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The Kohat Tunnel is a 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) long road tunnel located in the NWFP province of Pakistan. Because of Japanese assistance and contribution towards the construction of the tunnel, it is also known as the Pak-Japan Friendship Tunnel.

Construction on the tunnel began in 1999, and was opened to the public in June 2003. As part of the developing Indus Highway system, the tunnel serves as a shorter, alternate route to the Kohat Pass, situated between the cities of Peshawar and Kohat. The new route decreases the time required to travel through the Kohat Pass from three hours to less than one hour. Also, the tunnel will enable the passage of large vehicles, alleviate traffic congestion, improve traffic safety, and promote economic development.

[edit] Military action in 2008

In January 2008, the tunnel was at the center of of a military confrontation between the Pakistan Army and pro-Taliban militants. The militants had taken control of the tunnel around 24 January 2008, after hijacking trucks carrying supplies and ammunition for security forces in South Waziristan. On 27 January 2008, Pakistan Army claimed to have brought the tunnel back under control of the security forces, after "fierce fighting" (involving artillery, helicopter gunships and heavy machine guns) during which 24 militants were killed.^[1]^[2]