More than 1,000 Afghan soldiers fled into neighboring Tajikistan as they retreated following clashes with Taliban militants. The troops fled to “save their own lives,” Tajikistan’s border guard said in a statement that detailed 1,037 Afghan soldiers made it across the border from Badakhshan province. It marked the fifth time Afghan soldiers—some 1,600 in all—have fled across the border over the past two weeks and comes as the Taliban continues to gain ground, particularly in the country’s north, as the United States and its allies are getting ready to leave Afghanistan after 20 years. The recent incidents are only lending credence to fears that the Afghan military, and the country’s government, could collapse once the remaining foreign forces leave the country.
The United States officially left its main Bagram air base in Afghanistan on Friday as part of a plan to withdraw from the country by Sept. 11. The withdrawal was part of a deal with the Taliban in which the United States and its allies agreed to leave as long as international terrorists weren’t allowed to operate on inside Afghanistan. But the Taliban didn’t agree to stop attacking Afghan forces and now control about a third of the country. Negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government have failed to make much progress.
Tajikistan’s president ordered 20,000 military reservists to strengthen the protection along the border as he reached out to leaders in the region to discuss the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. Russian President Vladimir Putin has assured Tajikistan that it will assist its efforts to secure the border. Tajikistan is home to Russia’s largest military base abroad.
As foreign troops leave, Tajikistan and other neighboring countries are getting ready for an influx of refugees. Tajikistan is considering setting up refugee camps, Reuters reports. Amid all the uncertainty, President Joe Biden doesn’t seem all that eager to talk about the situation in Afghanistan. Biden cut off reporters after they asked him three consecutive questions about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan on Friday. “I’m not going to answer any more questions about Afghanistan,” Biden said. “Look, it’s Fourth of July. … This is a holiday weekend, I’m going to celebrate it. There’s great things happening.”
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July 06, 2021 at 05:02AM
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More Than 1,000 Afghan Forces Flee to Tajikistan as Taliban Continues to Gain Ground - Slate
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