Helmand police said on Sunday that the 45-kilometer highway that connects the city of Lashkargah with the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan will reopen to traffic in the near future as government forces started a clearance operation five days ago.

Helmand Police Chief Abdul Rahman Jawad said that at least 30 kilometers of the highway has been cleared of mines. He blamed the Taliban for destroying “dozens” of bridges along the highway. 

The highway was closed to traffic two months ago when the Taliban staged attacks on Lashkargah city and its nearby districts.

“You can see that small and big bridges and people’s houses have been destroyed by explosions. We continue our operation with calm to protect civilians. The bridges need to be reconstructed,” he said. 

“They are the ‘servants of Pakistan’ and are destroying our homeland. Our operation will continue,” said Safiullah, a soldier. 

“The Taliban militants are under pressure and they have detonated some bridges. Our operation will continue and we are advancing,” said Gul Mohammad, a soldier.