Hairatan

Hairatan
The Welcome to Afghanistan sign at Hairatan in northern Afghanistan
Hairatan Location in Afghanistan
Coordinates: 37°13′1″N 67°25′01″E / 37.21694°N 67.41694°E / 37.21694; 67.41694
Country	Afghanistan
Province	Balkh Province
District	Kaldar District
Elevation	1,000 ft (300 m)
Time zone	+ 4.30

Hairatan is a border town and a port in the north of Balkh province, Afghanistan. It sits along the Amu Darya river in the Kaldar district of Balkh province. The river forms the border with neighboring Uzbekistan, and the two nations are connected by the Afghanistan–Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge. The city of Termez in Uzbekistan is close to Hairatan. The altitude of Hairatan is 300m. Hairatan became one of the major transporting, shipping, and receiving location for Afghanistan.

In the early 1990s, Hairatan was the location of the 70th Division of General Abdul Momen, who was loosely aligned with Abdul Rashid Dostum's National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan. After Momen's death by an RPG missile attack on 5 January 1994, the 70th Division split and Dostam loyalist Colonel General Helaluddin took command.

After the removal of the Taliban government and the establishment of the Karzai administration, the town became an important strategic location for the new government. The new NATO-trained Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) established bases to provide security and maintain border activities. The Afghan Border Police (ABP) are in charge of protecting the border while the Afghan National Customs regulate and monitor all trade activities. They are backed by the Afghan Armed Forces and members of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).