NYT: Afghanistan Opens a Rebuilt Road to Unite North and South

[MrMonk]

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/16/international/asia/16CND-AFGH.html

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The once-torturous but now silkily reconstructed road between Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar was formally completed today, just as President Bush had promised President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan more than a year ago that it would be.
<snip>
The resurfacing of the road . . . has reduced the travel time on its 300-mile distance from as much as 30 hours to 6 hours or less,
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Rebuilding 300 miles of road in a bit over a year seems to be pretty good achievement, considering the conditions in Afghanistan. The cynic notes, however, that the new highway was probably built quickly to help the occupying army deploy, with benefits to the Afghanis as a corollary effect.