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With the Afghan army fleeing the Taliban, Tajikistan convenes reserves to strengthen its borders – EURACTIV.com


The President of Tajikistan on Monday (July 5) ordered the mobilization of 20,000 military reserve personnel to strengthen the border with Afghanistan, after more than 1,000 Afghan security personnel fled the border due to an attack by Taliban militants.

The border crossing on Sunday highlighted the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, with foreign troops almost completely withdrawing after 20 years of war, and peace talks are at a deadlock.

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President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan has made a series of international calls to discuss the situation with allies in the region, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has a large military presence in Tajikistan.

The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin assured Rahmon that Moscow will support the stability of the former Soviet Republic’s border with Afghanistan, directly or through regional security groups, if necessary.

Russia operates its largest overseas military base in this impoverished Central Asian country, where tanks, helicopters and ground attack aircraft are stationed.

Government sources told Reuters earlier on Monday that Tajikistan is considering setting up camps for potential refugees from Afghanistan.

Hundreds of members of the Afghan security forces fled the Islamic Taliban in the north and advanced quickly. But Sunday’s retreat was the biggest confirmation, just two days after the United States officially withdrew its main Bagram Air Force base in Afghanistan, as part of a plan to withdraw all foreign troops by September 11.

The Taliban border defense department stated that the Taliban occupied six key areas in the northern Badakhshan Province, which borders Tajikistan and China, and subsequently 1,037 Afghan soldiers fled the border with Tajikistan’s permission.

On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani spoke with Rahmon over the phone to discuss developments.

The Office of the President of Tajikistan said in a statement: “It is particularly concerned about the escalation of the situation in the northern part of Afghanistan adjacent to Tajikistan.

It added that Rahmon expressed concern about the “forced transit” of members of the Afghan security forces.

His office said that Rakhmon also called Uzbekistan’s Central Asian leaders Shavkat Mirziyoev and Kazakhstan’s Kassim-Jomart Tokayev and held a meeting of the Security Council.

‘Nwhere to’

A senior Afghan official confirmed that hundreds of people crossed the border into Tajikistan, but did not know the exact number.

“The Taliban cut all roads and these people have nowhere to go and can only cross the border,” he told Reuters.

Last week, U.S. troops withdrew from Bagram, effectively ending the longest war in U.S. history. This is part of an understanding with the Taliban. Since Al-Qaeda attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, the Taliban has been ousted from power. Fight with it.

The air base was an important military center after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The Soviet Union withdrew in 1989.

The Taliban have stopped their attacks on Western troops, but continue to target the Afghan government and security facilities because they quickly acquired territory across the country.

The peace talks between the two sides are still inconclusive.

Zabihullah Atiq, a parliamentarian from Badakhshan, told Reuters that the Taliban had occupied 26 of the 28 border provinces, and three of them were handed over to the insurgents without fighting.

He said that members of the Afghan security forces used various routes to flee, but added that the Taliban had captured dozens of people in the Ish Kahim area where Tajik border forces had blocked any border crossings.

Tajik officials said they let 152 people enter from Ish Kashm, but did not comment on whether anyone was denied entry.

The Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib said during security talks in Moscow on Monday that government forces did not expect the Taliban to launch an offensive, but would counterattack.

According to TASS news agency, Moscow stated that the Russian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan has suspended operations due to security issues.





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