Safety around Herat (Afghanistan)

[Anders]

hello,

I am just thinking about traveling from Iran towards Herat (afghanistan) and then transit Turkmenistan towards Uzbekistan.

Does someone have up to date safety upgrades about the street between herat and Turkmenistan border?

transportation probably is public or even hitchhiking.

thanks a lot.

[steven]

I received this a couple of years ago via e-mail. I recently found it again in my notes, thought I would add it just as an extra data point, but it dates from I believe 2015 or 2016.

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Hi guys, thanks heaps for your excerlent website. It is the best of its kind. The road from Herat to Maza Sharef is definately not safe.

I crossed the boarder from Iran at the Taybad crossing and planned to ride my motocycle to Kunduz and then into Tajikistan. The boarder military insisted on escorting me from there to Herat, they said the villages the road passes through are unpredictable.

After Herat I started to continue towards Maza Sharef, only to be pulled over by police with machine guns about 40km out of the city. Aparently someone had seen me (obveusly looking like a tourist) ride passed and quickly called the police who chased me down. They said there was Taliban up ahead, and if I continue I have a 100% chance of being killed. They said Taliban will sit on the hills and shoot me as I ride past then take all my things. So now back in Herat, Iv applied for a Turkmen transit visa and will leave in a few days

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Hi, Im currently in Herat. I don’t know about all of Afghanistan, but the 1 star hotel Im sitting in has wifi and no websites are blocked, not even the ones you don’t tell your mum about. And my phone has now got signal (roaming) after crossing the boarder from Iran

[Christian77]

The northern districts of Herat province bordering Turkmenistan are "contested" between Taliban control and government control. Check out this map that Al Jazeera copy-pasted from Long War Journal: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inter ... 28213.html

From what I can recall, 15 government soldiers were killed in late July here. Occasionally attacks on ANA/ANP checkpoints as well with smaller number of deaths.

The government, however, puts high priority on these type of main roads due to the competition for revenue collection (with the Taliban) leading to and from border crossings. So they likely focus on protecting the main road. But the Taliban may or may not stop cars/trucks to collect a fee and search locals for anything tying them to the government. You will make for a very tasty snack.

Or.... some driver in Herat who knows the area may think that your cash is worth it and that he rarely sees Talibs on the main road. Who knows? I haven't actually talked to anybody who has done this border crossing... I don't even know if it's open for non-Afghans/Turkmens.