Category Archives: Central Asia
Russia Wraps Up Drills With Uzbek And Tajik Troops Near Afghan Border
RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi August 11, 2021 Russia completed joint military exercises with troops from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on August 10 as the Taliban gain control of much of northern Afghanistan bordering Moscow’s Central Asian allies. The war games began last week, involving about 2,500 Russian, Tajik, and Uzbek troops at a training ground in Tajikistan
Who’s Who In The Taliban: The Men Who Run The Extremist Group And How They Operate
By Ron Synovitz RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi August 6, 2021 With the Taliban in control of more than half of all districts in Afghanistan, promises made by Taliban political negotiators in Doha appear to be falling by the wayside. The movement’s so-called Political Affairs Commission in Doha had vowed in a February 2020 peace deal with the
Taliban Puts Tajik Militants Partially In Charge Of Afghanistan’s Northern Border
Mumin Ahmadi Mullorajab Yusufi Nigorai Fazliddin July 27, 2021 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty DUSHANBE — When the Taliban captured a strategically important security checkpoint near Afghanistan’s border with Tajikistan last month, it assigned a Tajik militant to raise the Taliban flag on the site. The militant goes by the alias Mahdi Arsalon and has a
Despite Taliban Advances, Central Asia Eyes Trade Ties With South Asia
Bruce Pannier Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 22, 2021 Central Asia has long advertised itself as the crossroads of the Eurasian continent — a region that, with development, could be an important transit hub for shipping goods from east to west and from north to south. The Asian Development Bank’s Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation
Kyrgyzstan Appeals For Help For Ethnic Kyrgyz Who Fled Afghanistan
By RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service July 16,2021 BISHKEK — The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry has appealed to authorities in neighboring Tajikistan to facilitate the passage to their common border of hundreds of ethnic Kyrgyz who fled Afghanistan amid a major Taliban surge that is raising security concerns in neighboring former Soviet republics. The ministry also said on July 15 that
China Cautiously Eyes New Regional Leadership Role As Afghanistan Fighting Intensifies
Reid Standish Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty July 14, 2021 As the security situation in Afghanistan worsens, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has begun a high-profile tour of Central Asia that analysts say is an effort by Beijing to boost its interests in the region. The weeklong visit to Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan comes as the
Uzbekistan Promotes Connectivity to Enhance its Regional Leadership
Navbahor Imamova VOA News July 13, 2021 WASHINGTON – Uzbekistan’s goal of securing new trade routes to the Indian Ocean — the focus of a conference this week featuring many of the region’s top diplomats — has been complicated by rising uncertainty about the future of a major country along the way: Afghanistan. The goal
Why The Taliban Is Sweeping Northern Afghanistan
Abubakar Siddique Radio Azadi July 13, 2021 The lightning speed with which the Taliban has overrun large swathes of rural territories in Afghanistan’s north has shocked locals and surprised foreign observers with some worrying whether the internationally recognized government in Kabul can weather the storm. But the speed of the Taliban’s advances has everyone asking
Regional Actors Boost Diplomatic Engagement with Taliban as US Exits Afghanistan
Ayaz Gul VOA News July 12, 2021 ISLAMABAD – As the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan nears completion, regional countries are stepping up diplomatic efforts aimed at pressing warring Afghans to resume the stalled U.S.-brokered peace talks and prevent the conflict from escalating into a full-blown civil war. The fears of further bloodshed stem from