Moscow pledges full support to Tajikistan to ward off threats from Afghanistan

Moscow has promised to provide any necessary assistance to Tajikistan in the event of terrorist threats from Afghanistan as US and NATO troops withdraw, Russia’s state media TASS reported Thursday.

According to TASS, State Duma Defense Committee Head Vladimir Shamanov said Thursday 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.”

TASS reported that the situation in Afghanistan will be discussed at Thursday’s council meeting.

“I believe that this issue is more likely to be discussed from the viewpoint of assessing potential developments. As of now, and we talked with colleagues yesterday and today, the leadership of Tajikistan does not express such a serious concern,” he said.

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.

This comes after the Taliban captured Afghanistan’s main border crossing with Tajikistan last week, resulting in some security forces abandoning their posts and fleeing across the frontier.

The seizure of Shir Khan Bandar, in the far north of Afghanistan about 50km from Kunduz city, was the most significant gain for the Taliban since it stepped up operations on May 1 when the US began the final stages of its troop withdrawal.

Speaking to AFP news agency soon after the fall of the border checkpoint, an Afghan army officer said: “We were forced to leave all check posts … and some of our soldiers crossed the border into Tajikistan.

“By the morning, they (Taliban fighters) were everywhere, hundreds of them,” he said on condition of anonymity.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the fighters had seized the border crossing across the Pyanj River.

“Our Mujahideen are in full control of Shir Khan Bandar and all the border crossings with Tajikistan in Kunduz,” he told AFP.

More than a week later, the Taliban still controls the border crossing, sources told Ariana News.