| Torkham | |
|---|---|
| Torkham border crossing in September 2011 | |
| Kabul, Peshawar, and some cities in Nangarhar | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Afghanistan |
| Province | Nangarhar Province |
| District | |
| Elevation | 3,497 ft (1,066 m) |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 |
Torkham (Pashto: طورخم Tūrkham) is a border crossing town in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Khyber Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas, right on the Durand Line border.[1][2][3] It is linked by a highway with Jalalabad to the west and Peshawar to the east, connecting with N-5 National Highway all the way to Karachi. The town is only five kilometres west of the summit of the Khyber Pass. Torkham is the busiest port of entry between Afghanistan and Pakistan, serving as a major transporting, shipping, and receiving site between the two neighboring countries.[4]
Torkham and the vast surrounding area is inhabited by ethnic Pashtun tribes or Pashtun people. In November 2001 the New York Times reported that Torkham was the home of Hazrat Ali, an anti-Taliban militia leader who seized power after the Taliban retreated.[2] The New York Times reported that Hazrati Ali had joined forces with two other militia leaders, Mawlawi Yunis Khalis, and Ezatullah, to set up a regional provisional government.
In April 2006 the Afghan Border Police began requiring travelers crossing the border at Torkham to possess valid travel documents.[3][5]
Highway 7 connects Torkham to Kabul.[6]
American forces staff the nearby Towr Kham Fire Base.[7][8]
Torkham lies on the most important supply route for ISAF forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan has used blocking supplies as a bargaining chip, for example as a reaction to coalition forces attacking targets in Pakistan for example in 2008[9] and 2010.[10]
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In 1891 the British extended the Indian Railways (now Pakistan Railways) to Torkham. The rails were not extended into Afghanistan to the north and west for political reasons.
Over much of the last century, there have been proposals to extend the Torkham line to Afghanistan and possibly beyond, passing through Jalalabad. These proposals have the support of the current Afghan government. In July 2010, Pakistan and Afghanistan signed a Memorandum of understanding for going ahead with the laying of rail tracks between the two countries. Work on the proposed project was supposed to start in 2010.[11]