The Tera Pass is the primary route connecting Logar and

Paktia Paktia (Pashto – ''Paktyā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly 623,0 ...

provinces in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. The pass was unimproved until 2006, when construction of a paved surface was completed as part of the ongoing international reconstruction effort.

History

The pass has been in use since Antiquity, and serves as one of the primary passes connecting

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Unlike the

Khost-Gardez Pass The Khost-Gardez Pass, frequently abbreviated as the K-G Pass, and known locally as the Seti-Kandow Pass, or the Satukandav Pass by Soviet forces, is the main land route connecting Khost, the capital of Khost Province, and Gardez, the capital ...

to the south, the Tera Pass is only sporadically inhabited. Alternate passes exist through Logar's Kharwar district to the west.

Geography

The pass crosses a rugged mountain ridge with nearby peaks topping out at 11,000'. The pass itself rises approximately 3,500' from the lowest part of Logar, and descends approximately 2,000' into the Gardez river valley to the south. The pass receives heavy snowfall during the winter months, often to the point of being impassable. Snow tends to persist into the summer months on the north-facing side of the mountain ridge.

People

The Tera Pass area is largely uninhabited, with only minor settlements on the north side of the pass.

Security

The pass is relatively secure, owing to the presence of ANP checkpoints, daunting geography and paved surface, which makes IED attacks more difficult.

Notes

Mountain passes of Afghanistan Landforms of Logar Province Landforms of Paktia Province {{Paktia-geo-stub