KABUL, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan caretaker government formally started the reconstruction of the essential Salang Pass and Salang tunnel on Wednesday, the state-run Bakhtar News Agency reported.

Opened in 1964 to connect Afghanistan's capital Kabul to the country's nine northern provinces onward to Central Asian states, the essential Salang Pass has been badly damaged and decayed due to prolonged war.

The 2.7-km-long Salang tunnel, which is 3,000 meters above sea level, has been serving as the lifeline of Afghanistan as thousands of cars, passenger buses, and trucks carrying goods cross the passageway daily.

In a ceremony attended by officials to inaugurate the work for reconstruction, the Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund said that the 80 km-long highway project which was financed by the government would be completed within two years.

This is the second-largest development project that has been launched by the caretaker government since assuming power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Enditem

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