Afghanistan On The Brink: Soldiers Flee To Tajikistan As Taliban Militants Advance

Tajikistan has mobilized 20,000 military reservists in a bid to strengthen security on its border with Afghanistan after more than a thousand Afghan troops fled a Taliban offensive and sought refuge in the country.

According to Reuters, Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmon communicated with international allies on how to handle the situation.

Among the leaders, Rakhmon has spoken to is Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has a huge military presence in Tajikistan.

Putin is committed to supporting Tajikistan in its goal of stabilizing border affairs, both directly and through a regional security bloc, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Tajik border forces in a statement said that allowing Afghan personnel to cross the border at seven locations was to help “save their lives,” German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported. Tajikistan is mulling the possibility of establishing camps for Afghan refugees. A government official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the matter is also being discussed with Tajik allies.

Photo: AFP / STAFF

Afghan security personnel have started fleeing the country as Taliban militants continue to step up their activity as the U.S. draws down its forces from the country. American troops quietly slipped out of the Bagram Air Base on Friday, and most parts of the base are now in Afghan hands.

Throughout the weekend, Taliban forces made significant advances across the northern part of Afghanistan. Reports said there is “low morale” among Afghan soldiers.

On Sunday alone, more than 300 Afghan military forces crossed the Badakhshan district border, the Tajik State Committee for National Security said in a statement.

Badakhshan provincial council member Mohib-ul Rahman told the Associated Press that “the majority of the (Afghan) districts were left to the Taliban without any fight.”

Rahman said even senior provincial officials in the provincial capital Fayzabad “packed up” and were preparing to head to Kabul as Taliban militants have taken over nearby districts.

As of Monday, the Taliban have taken control of around a third of Afghanistan’s district centers and districts. Many Afghan bases are still waiting for supplies as the Taliban surround them.

Meanwhile, the Taliban warned that all American forces should be out of Afghanistan by the Sept. 11 deadline set by President Joe Biden. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told BBC that the group only refuses the presence of “foreign military forces, not diplomats” or NGOs.

After the U.S. troops departed the Bagram Airfield on Friday, the base’s new Afghan commander, Gen. Mir Asadullah Kohistani, said Afghan counterparts were not informed of the move.

The base was reportedly taken over by looters for a short period of time before Afghan security personnel arrived and evicted them.

The United States invaded Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attack in New York City. The American troops’ pullout after 20 years has raised fears the Taliban would take over the country, making it again a hotbed for terrorists who will destabilize Central and South Asia.