Afghanistan

Zamarudsay

Zamarudsay
The area of land known as the "Zamarudsay Oil Block"

Hypothesized Zamarudsay Oil Field Location
We did not find any villages or place names for the Zamarudsay block, so we instead approximated the oil field’s location (centered on 36.19275, 65.29552) using the oil field map. Once again, analysis of nine images spanning from 2018 to 2024 failed to show any active oil infrastructure.

Bazarkhami

Bazarkhami
The area of land known as the "Bazarkhami Oil Block"

Hypothesized Bazarkhami Oil Field Location
We identified the village of Bazarkhami (36.16951, 65.74647) in the approximate area that Bazarkhami oil field was marked in green on the oil field map. GDIL analyzed 10 available images on Maxar and Google Earth from 2019 to 2024, and we did not observe any active oil wells or storage facilities in the surrounding 10 km2.

Kashkari

Kashkari
The area of land known as the "Kashkari Oil Block"

Kashkari Oil Field Facilities
Facilities and infrastructure in the the Kashkari oil field. Storage and oil wells can be seen.

Angot Oil Field Facilities
Facilities and infrastructure in the Angot oil field. Wells and storage are visible.

Hypothesized Aqdarya Oil Field
GDIL surveyed a five km2 area (centered at coordinates 36.11503, 66.01766) east of Kashkari to assess the Aqdarya oil field. Analysis of 12 images from Google Earth and Maxar, spanning 2013 to 2023, revealed no active oil wells or facilities comparable to those in the Kashkari and Angot oil fields. The surveyed area predominantly features small residential structures and roads, with no significant industrial activity detected.

Mes Aynak Copper Mine

Excavation Site
The area where preliminary excavation is taking place

Chinatown Kabul
The location of "Chinatown Kabul", a group of buildings hosting small to medium-sized Chinese businesses.

Chinatown Industrial Park
Single unfinished building attributed to Chinatown Industrial Park appears on Maxar 2024 imagery in this area.

Kabul New City

Kabul New City Plots
Paved asphalt roads in an organized urban layout are relics of U.S.-backed Afghan government attempts to build KNC.

Rashakai SEZ
An official BRI project in Pakistan showing the potential for significant construction progress in a shorter amount of time.

Wakhan Corridor

Koktorok Road
A Chinese road approaches the Afghanistan border but stops short

Toukemansu Mountain Pass
A road approaching the Afghanistan border but stopping short of the mountain ridge separating the two countries.

Teger Munsudovan Road
A Chinese road approaching Afghanistan from the south. It approaches a border post but doesn't continue into Afghanistan territory.

Wakhjir Pass
Chinese road approaches the Afghanistan border but doesn't continue. A border post is visible.

Sarhad
Claimed point of construction for the Pamir Highway. Well graded road visible runnning through village

Sarhad to Tajikistan Highway
This traced road is labeled as a highway on Open Street Map. It connects with the M41 (AKA Pamir) Highway in Tajikistan.

Possible Beginning of Route to Wakhjir Pass
Various dirt trails and one well graded road branch off the Sarhad to Tajikistan highway at this point. Many of the dirt trails lead off into isolated compounds and farms. The well-graded dirt road follows the Wakhjir River through the valleys easy.

Well Graded Road towards Wakhjir Pass
A well-graded road is visible that was constructed pre-Taliban takeover. The road follows the path of the Wakhjir river but eventually ends after the village of Chartash.

Hypothesized Continued Route towards Wakhjir Pass
GDIL followed several faint dirt trails that continue to follow the Wakhjir river after the end of the well-graded road. On Maxar imagery after November 2023, no well-graded roads were observed along this path. Each of these trails eventually ended several kilometers before the border with China.

End of Well-graded Road
The well-graded road splitting off from the Sarhad to Tajikistan highway ends at this point, 30 km before the Wakhjir Pass.

Road Connection to Tajikistan
The highway from Sarhad leads all the way to the border with Tajikistan, where it connects to Tajikistan's M41 highway.