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Putin offers to help Tajikistan protect border with Afghanistan
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday told the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon that he was ready to provide the necessary support to his Tajik counterpart to ward off any threats emanating from Afghanistan.
In a statement issued by Putin’s office, Moscow said the two leaders had discussed the situation along the Tajik-Afghan border in a telephone conversation.
“The discussion focused on the difficult situation on the Tajik-Afghan border caused by the escalation of armed confrontation in Afghanistan, including in the border area,” the statement read.
“Vladimir Putin confirmed his readiness to provide Tajikistan with the necessary support, both bilaterally and within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation,” read the statement.
This comes after escalating violence has gripped the northern parts of Afghanistan in the past week and resulted in a number of districts, and border crossings into Tajikistan, falling to the Taliban.
During a National Security Council meeting on Monday, Rahmon meanwhile ordered the deployment of 20,000 troops to the frontier.
Rahmon also raised concerns over the situation in Afghanistan with his Uzbek and Kazakh counterparts.
These developments come after over 1,000 Afghan military personnel retreated to Tajikistan on Sunday as Taliban fighters closed in on border crossings between the two countries, Central Asian media outlet Akipress reported on Monday
Akipress said the Taliban captured Khwahan, Shekay, Nusay, Maimay, Sheghnan, and Ishkashim districts in Badakhshan province, which all border Tajikistan.
According to the report, 1,037 Afghan military personnel crossed into Tajikistan following armed clashes with the Taliban.
Reports also emerged over the weekend that at least 300 Afghan security force members crossed into Tajikistan on Saturday amid heavy clashes with the Taliban.
Last week, Moscow promised to provide any necessary assistance to Tajikistan if needed.
Russia’s state media TASS reported Thursday that State Duma Defense Committee Head Vladimir Shamanov said assistance will be provided in accordance with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
Speaking ahead of a meeting with the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly Council, Shamanov said: “We will surely provide comprehensive assistance to Tajikistan under the CSTO commitments [in case of the mounting terrorist threat]. Naturally, we won’t leave it [Tajikistan] alone.”
The head of the State Duma Defense Committee also reiterated Russia’s position with regard to the concerns over the situation in Afghanistan.
“The measures, including those taken by the Russian side, were outlined both by the [Russian] defense minister and the president [of Russia] to the effect that we need to think about providing the 201st military base in Tajikistan with the required capabilities,” Shamanov said adding that Russian border guards were now “taking a number of organizational measures” in this regard.
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At least 1,500 families affected by recent floods: IRW
The Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) organization has reported that the rains and floods of the last week have claimed the lives of many Afghan and incurred huge financial losses.
According to the organization, a total of 1,500 families have suffered as a result of the recent floods and hundreds of livestock have also been lost.
IRW added that following the recent rains, 900 houses were partially or completely destroyed and 93,000 hectares of agricultural land was damaged.
This comes amid an ongoing economic crisis in Afghanistan which has left millions of people reliant on aid.
The disaster management ministry meanwhile confirmed earlier that 99 people died and 64 others were injured as a result of the heavy rains.
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Russia says US facing humiliation in Ukraine like in Vietnam and Afghanistan
Russia said on Sunday U.S. lawmakers’ support for $60.84 billion more in aid for Ukraine showed that Washington was wading much deeper into a hybrid war against Moscow that would end in humiliation on a par with the Vietnam or Afghanistan conflicts.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it was clear that the United States wanted Ukraine “to fight to the last Ukrainian” including with attacks on Russian sovereign territory and civilians, Reuters reported.
“Washington’s deeper and deeper immersion in the hybrid war against Russia will turn into a loud and humiliating fiasco for United States such as Vietnam and Afghanistan,” Zakharova said.
Russia, she said, will give “an unconditional and resolute response” to the U.S. move to get more involved in the Ukraine war.
The United States lost more than 58,000 military personnel in the 1955-75 Vietnam War, which ended with Communist North Vietnam’s victory and takeover of the South, while hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed.
In the 2001-2021 war in Afghanistan, the U.S. reported 2,459 dead and over 20,000 wounded in the conflict which ended with the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces and return to power of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).
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Iran says water is an important factor in expansion of ties with Afghanistan
Iran’s special representative for Afghanistan, Hasan Kazemi Qomi, said on Sunday that water is an important factor in the expansion of bilateral relations, expressing hope that the flow of water to his country will continue.
Qomi said this in a meeting with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul, the ministry said in a statement.
The envoy expressed gratitude for removing obstacles to the flow of water from the Helmand River to Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran.
Meanwhile, Muttaqi noted that there were good rains in the country this year, as a result of which, after several years of severe drought, Helmand River’s water flowed to Nimroz province of Afghanistan and into Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran.
He assessed the relations between Afghanistan and Iran as “friendly and positive” and hoped relations will expand further in various fields.
During the meeting, Iran’s envoy also thanked the Islamic Emirate for its stance on Israel’s attacks on Gaza and for having condemned the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
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