India started rebuilding the dam in 2002. It has a power capacity of 42 MW (AFP)
Highlights
- 10 security personnel have been killed in the terror attack in Herat
- The attack occured 13 km from the Salma Dam, rebuilt by India
- The Salma Dam irrigates 75,000 hectares of land in Herat
Ten security personnel and four others have been injured in a terror attack, reportedly carried out by Taliban, in Afghanistan's Herat province. The attack took place nearly 13 kilometres from the Salma dam, rebuilt by India, in Chist-i-Sharif district in the western province. However, India's Ambassador to Afghanistan Manpreet Vohra confirmed that the dam was not attacked.
"There have been media reports, but I want to clarify that this is not an attack on the dam. It was some distance away," said Mr Vohra to NDTV.
He did, however, confirmed that the dam has been a target for Pakistan-based terror outfits in the past.
"Yes, I am aware of these reports in the past," the envoy said.
The Salma Dam, or the India-Afghanistan Friendship dam, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani in June, 2016. India started rebuilding the dam in 2002. It has a power capacity of 42 MW and irrigates 75,000 hectares of land in Herat and provides power to thousands. The original Cabinet approval of Rs 351.87 in 2004 escalted to Rs 1775.69 crore at the end of the project.