Russia deploys fighter jets to Tajikistan for drills near Afghanistan

Russia has deployed Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jets from its base in Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan for joint military drills near Afghanistan, RIA news agency stated.

The drills, which are set to take place on August 5 to 10 and involve Uzbek and Tajik forces, comes amid a deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

This comes after Russia deployed military tanks earlier this month close to the Afghan-Tajik border. This came ahead of the planned military exercises which include drills in Uzbekistan.

Afghanistan’s neighboring country, especially those in the north, has ramped up security along their borders in recent weeks following the advances made by the Taliban amid the foreign troops withdrawal process.

Meanwhile, tank crews from Russia’s military base in Tajikistan, its largest on foreign soil, completed a 200 km journey to a military range near the Afghan border, the TASS news agency cited Russia’s Central Military District as saying in a statement on Tuesday.

During the deployment, the T-72 tank crews practiced protecting convoys and repelling enemy fire, TASS reported.