SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan, July 5 (AFP): In Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, a once-thriving business of trading car parts from far-flung places has screeched to a halt due to conflicts at the country's borders.
The brakes were first put on the Spin Boldak market when cross-border violence with neighbouring Pakistan prompted the near-total closure of the frontier in October.
"When the border was closed with Pakistan, we also exported via (Iran's) Bandar Abbas port with many difficulties... but there was still a way," said Abdul Baqi Bina, deputy head of the Kandahar Chamber of Commerce and Investment.
Vehicle parts from Japan and elsewhere that used to reach Spin Boldak overland through Pakistan were rerouted through the United Arab Emirates, a longer and more costly path but one which at least allowed work to continue.
But then the Middle East war broke out in February, which Bina said "created very difficult problems for Afghanistan".
The conflict sparked massive disruption to international trade through the Strait of Hormuz.
Afghan car trade screeches to a halt
FE Team | Published: July 05, 2026 23:23:06
Afghan car trade screeches to a halt
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