DUSHANBE, July 20, 2011, Asia-Plus -- More than 190,000 tons of cargo have been shipped to Afghanistan via Tajikistan over the first six months this year, the Tajik Railways head Amonullo Hukumov remarked at a news conference in Dushanbe on July 20.

According to him, the cargo mainly included air fuel (more than 130,000 tons) destined for International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

NATO uses Central Asian routes to transit nonmilitary supplies, including food and fuel, to Afghanistan.

Hukumov noted that 380,000 tons of cargo were shipped to Afghanistan via Tajik territory in 2009.  “Last year, cargo shipments to Afghanistan via Tajik territory considerably decreased because many Afghanistan-bound freight cars were stranded on Uzbek territory for a long time,” he said.

We will recall that Hukumov told reporters in Dushanbe on January 19 that some 160,000 tons of cargo were shipped to Afghanistan via Tajik territory in 2010.