November 28,
2008: Russia has agreed to allow Germany to send military equipment over
Russian railroads to Afghanistan. This is a slow process, as the equipment goes
across Russia, via the Trans-Siberian railroad, into the Central Asian nations
and then to the Afghan border, where the equipment moves by truck into
Afghanistan (which only no rail lines of its own.) Previously, Russia permitted
NATO nations to send non-military supplies (food, fuel, medical and the like)
to Afghanistan over Russian rails. Most supplies for NATO and U.S. troops still
come via the Pakistani port of Karachi, then rail to the border, and via truck
into Afghanistan.
