KABUL - Afghanistan's Ministry of Mines said Thursday it aimed to purchase 1.5 million cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan after the implementation of the TAPI gas pipeline project. It also said that the Afghan government will assign as many as 12,000 Afghan security personnel to safeguard the security of the TAPI project - a name which represents the countries involved in the pipeline stretching from Turkmenistan to India, though Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Kandahar and Herat provinces will be the main provinces impacted by the 1,680 km-long TAPI pipeline which is expected to cover 735 km of Afghanistan.

The four countries will present the plans for the project in four months at a meeting of world investors in London, UK, Mines Minister Wahidullah Shahrani said.

The countries have until 2014 to preparation for their end of implementing the project.

"We have a lot of preparations to make for the infrastructure of project and the security issue as well, so until that time we will have a lot to do," Shahrani said.

Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India formally agreed Tuesday to build the pipeline which is set to supply some 30 billion cubic meters per year of Turkmen natural gas to India. Afghanistan will earn a total of $400 million per year by way of a "transit" fee. (Tolo News)