Numerous high passes (kotal) transect the mountains, forming a strategically important network for the transit of caravans. The most important mountain pass in Afghanistan is the Salang Pass (Kotal-e Salang) () north of Kabul, which links southern Afghanistan to northern Afghanistan. The Salang Tunnel at and the extensive network of galleries on the approach roads were constructed with Soviet financial and technological assistance and involved drilling through the heart of the Hindu Kush, and has been an active area of armed conflict with various parties trying to control it. The range has several other passes in Afghanistan, the lowest of which is the southern Shibar pass () where the Hindu Kush range terminates.