Russian Military Exercises to Secure Afghani–Tajik Border
Russian attack aircraft conduct military exercises in Tajikistan to secure the border with Afghanistan.
Russian military helicopters stationed in Tajikistan fired air-to-surface missiles on Tuesday as part of Russian military exercises aimed at securing the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
On Monday, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon said that "Moscow will help its country, which was once a part of the Soviet Union, in dealing with the repercussions of NATO forces leaving from neighboring Afghanistan."
Yesterday, the Kremlin announced it is ready to support Tajikistan, either directly or through a regional security bloc.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko reiterated this pledge during his statements through the Russian "Interfax" agency, saying the Islamic Taliban movement now seems to control most of Afghanistan's borders.
"According to some sources, the situation there is a bit tense because the Taliban now controls 70 percent of the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan," he added.
In addition, violence and bloody confrontations escalated between Afghani forces and the "Taliban" in light of paused negotiations between the two parties to reach a permanent ceasefire agreement.