The bridge was closed in May 1997 when Taliban forces attacked the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, and Uzbekistan feared the disorder could spread across the border. In particular it feared that it could be used by Islamist militants to assist the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in overthrowing Uzbek President Islam Karimov. After the fall of Mazar-i-Sharif during the U.S. invasion the United States and the United Nations began pressuring Uzbekistan to reopen the bridge to provide international aid. It reopened on December 9, 2001, with an Uzbek Railways shipment of 1,000 pounds of grain and wheat, although it remained guarded by the Uzbek Armed Forces. The reopening was attended by World Food Programme and Northern Alliance officials, including Abdul Rashid Dostum. Uzbekistan would close the bridge again in 2005 in response to deteriorating conditions in northern Afghanistan. Although it was reopened in 2009, it was found to be in too poor condition to transport large amounts of aid over.