Russia said it is prepared to activate a military base in Tajikistan in response to fighting in Afghanistan near the central Asian country’s southern border. After over 1,000 Afghan soldiers retreated from fighting with the Taliban and fled into Tajikistan, Tajik officials requested assistance from a Russian-led military alliance.
Tajikistan, Russia, and four other former Soviet states are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). “Given the current situation in the region, as well as the remoteness and mountainous terrain of some parts of the border with Afghanistan, dealing with this challenge on our own seems difficult,” Hasan Sultonov, the Tajik representative to the CSTO, said on Wednesday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is prepared to help its treaty ally. “We’ll do everything, including using the capabilities of the Russian military base on the border of Tajikistan with Afghanistan, to prevent any aggressive encroachments against our allies,” he said.
Tajikistan has activated 20,000 reservists to bolster the border in response to the Afghan soldiers entering the country. It’s unlikely that the Taliban would open up a front in Tajikistan, especially if it risks drawing Russia into the fighting. But the violence in northeast Afghanistan will continue to spill into Tajikistan to some extent.
Russia has been very critical of the US and NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Despite the almost 20 years of wars, Lavrov described the Western exit from the country as a “hasty withdrawal.”
“The situation is rapidly deteriorating, including in the context of the hasty withdrawal of American and other NATO troops, who over their decades of their stay in this country have not achieved visible results in terms of stabilizing the situation there,” Lavrov said.
Not quite a Siagon repeat, but equally ignominius. And who knows what fiascos lay ahead. Of course Bush & his Neocons will not suffer any justice consequences 4 the rape of Afghanistan. Just another day in the the life of neocon empire and times of the big lie, over reach & fraud. I should grudgingly give Biden some kudos for extricating our country from this cruel war, against the demands of the military and most of our Necon overseers. It is long overdue. Too bad he doesn’t end his support for our other crazy and unjust wars of vast destruction in Syria & Yemen especially, neither of which have done anything to us to deserve what we are doing to them.
Since the Eisenhower administration we have been on a mission to bring Syria down. Ike’s other mission, the coup in Iran, was a success.
In case anyone wants to know why we are so interested in Syria, Yemen, and the Zionist of Israel interest in the Golan Heights, OIL is there.
Yeppers. Thar’s oil in them places.
There is a method to he madness. Neocon overseers do have a plan, and Russia knows it. So does China, all other Central Asian countries, Iran, Pakistan and India.
By keeping forces there, US has been consumed by internal Afghan politics and strife.
We continue using agitprop language to our detriment. It is hard to sort out who wants what with false premises. Taliban actually does not exist. Taliban was a “movement” US concocted with compliant Saudi regime that funded the whole thing, and provided religion-based ideology. Pakistan was the base of operations. Dozens of schools (madrasas) opened, recruiting poor youth mostly from among large Afghan refugee community. They were taught cultish version of religion, and indoctrinated into the idea of saving their country. They were trained to become soldiers. They were thus TALIBAN, that is STUDENTS.
This “student” movement, led by experienced Pakistani military leaders, entered Afghanistan, cut the deal with clan leaders, and hit the clans that did not comply.
Their primary objective was to topple pro-Soviet government that still two years after Soviet exit controlled Kabul and many northern regions. Taliban rule quickly disintegrated , as clans asserted control, and Saudi-led Al-Qaeda joined the clans, and sharply turned anti-US.
This lead to US invasion of Afghanistan. After investing in Al-Qaeda, forcing Soviets to withdraw, investing in “student movement”, Taliban — just to find out that clan leaders took over, and refused to obey. Last straw — the pipeline deal.
Facing loss of Afghanistan, and 9/11 terrorist attacks involving angry radicals from Saudi Arabia to Egypt — US had to assert its control. Afghanistan became the symbolic 9/11 response to be followed by Iraq, Syria, Iran. And in process, control Pakistan and all Gulf countries.
Fast forward — today clan leadership asserted itself, proving that US control of central government in Kabul meant nothing. It was a giant waste of time, not to mention loss of Pakistan, disaster in Iraq, inability to topple Syria, and getting nowhere with Iran. In the meantime, Egypt has asserted independence, and the palace coup in Riyadh removed all pro-US infrastructure in Wahhabi leadership, intelligence, interior (homeland security), and defense.
Russia and China gained.
Getting out of Afghanistan simply means converting the place into the hub of terrorism to be spread into Tajikistan, and then the entire Central Asia and Xinjiang.
Russia is not bothered by clans taking over (still called Taliban). What has happened is a bizarre refusal of Kabul government to find accommodation with tribes. Guaranteeing prolonged strife, and organizing the despondent Government soldiers into new form of mercenary force. Any guesses on new name? Creativity is not neocon strength, so I believe we will suddenly
find “resurgent ISIS”, spreading into neighborhood. While special ops from the compound called Embassy would provide logistics.
Russia is ready for that plan. The plan may not work out. Without Saudi money, only UAE is remaining cash cow. And Wahhabi zealots are no longer available.
Israel influenced UAE is becoming a problem. And Saudi Arabia is already taking measures against it in trade.
Guess the Russians have learned their lessons from the Empire’s activities elsewhere. It wouldn’t have occurred to me those 1,000 trained soldiers might be the nucleus of a mercenary force to destroy Tajikastan.