Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 17 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
OpEdNews Op Eds   

The Taliban grab more ground as 46 Afghan soldiers take refuge in Pakistan

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   No comments
Message Abdus-Sattar Ghazali
Become a Fan
  (11 fans)

At least 46 Afghan soldiers, including several officers, have taken refuge in Pakistani after unable to hold their military posts apparently in the wake of advances by Taliban inside Afghanistan.

Stepped up Taliban attacks in recent weeks have forced hundreds of Afghan government forces to escape to Tajikistan, Iran, China and Pakistan, enabling the insurgents to seize Afghanistan's strategic border crossings with these neighbors.

The Pakistani military said in a statement Monday "Afghan National Army local Commander opposite Arundu Sector, Chitral requested Pakistan Army for refuge and safe passage for 46 soldiers of Afghan National Army and Border Police, including five officers, as they were unable to hold their military posts along Pak-Afghan International Border due to evolving security situation in Afghanistan."

Earlier press reports said the soldiers were stationed in the eastern Afghan border province of Kunar, the scene of heavy fighting between the Taliban and Afghan government forces.

This is not the first time that such an incident has occurred. Earlier this month, 35 Afghan soldiers had also requested Pakistan for safe passage over their failure to hold their military post along the border.

The Afghan troops have lately come under a lot of pressure from the Taliban. Earlier in July, more than 1,000 Afghan security personnel fled across the border into Tajikistan following the Taliban attacks.

The Taliban have stepped up attacks against Afghan security forces and captured vast territory since early May, when the United States and NATO allies officially began pulling their last remaining troops from Afghanistan.

Russia shows tentative willingness to let U.S. use Central Asia bases

Amid Taliba offensive, Russia has consented to allow the United States to use its bases in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan for limited operations in Afghanistan, according to a Russian newspaper report quoted by Eurasianet.

Kommersant daily newspaper on July 17 cited unnamed sources as saying that a proposal on how to utilize those facilities was aired during the June meeting in Geneva between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden.

The arrangement would involve U.S. forces using Russian bases in the two countries for pre-coordinated operations in Afghanistan. Another area for cooperation would be in the exchange of intelligence, including of data collected by drones, Kommersant cited its sources as saying, while noting that Russian bases in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are equipped with close- and mid-range unmanned aerial systems.

"If the Americans are only interested in monitoring the situation in Afghanistan, they would accept this generous proposal. But they have not yet given a clear response, which raises suspicions that they have different ideas in mind," the source told the newspaper.

Media reports about Washington seeking use of a military facility in Central Asia from which its forces could launch operations in Afghanistan have been circulating since mid-April. The Washington Post has cited current and former officials in the Biden administration as saying Uzbekistan was being considered as a jumping-off location for drone operations.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, visited Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in May for talks that will have featured security high on the agenda.

The U.S. once had two important bases in Central Asia, both established in the wake of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001: Karshi-Khanabad, a Soviet-built facility at a location in Uzbekistan around 145 kilometers north of Afghanistan's border, from which they were expelled in 2005, and the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan, which ceased operations in 2014.

Interestingly, the Taliban is banned in the Russian Federation as a terrorist organization.

Rate It | View Ratings

Abdus-Sattar Ghazali Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Author and journalist. Author of Islamic Pakistan: Illusions & Reality; Islam in the Post-Cold War Era; Islam & Modernism; Islam & Muslims in the Post-9/11 America. Currently working as free lance journalist. Executive Editor of American (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Pakistan's first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated by America

U.S. Muslims condemn killings of American diplomats in Libya

Are we living in Orwell's 1984 Oceania surveillance state?

Saudi Air Force trainee opens fire at Naval Air Station in Florida killing 3 people

2001-2011: A decade of civil liberties' erosion in America -- Part One

2001-2011: A decade of civil liberties' erosion in America -- Part Two

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend