Terrorists focus on creating a “caliphate” in Central Asia
Taliban radicals (the organization is banned in the Russian Federation) seized a section of the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The terrorists have made significant progress in the battles against the Afghan government army and continue to develop their offensive. Artillery and armored vehicles were in the hands of the Taliban, which could be used to attack the republics of Central Asia, where Russian troops are deployed. That's what military experts say.
Photo: AP
The withdrawal of the US-NATO contingent from Afghanistan threatens to increase terrorist activity in Central Asia. Without waiting for the complete withdrawal of the US military, Taliban militants launched a large-scale offensive across the country at once, capturing entire counties and military bases, sometimes with virtually no fighting. The terrorists have achieved particular success in the north of the country – in the regions bordering Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
A large amount of military equipment, especially American production, fell into the hands of terrorists. The militants seized armored vehicles, ambulances, a large number of small arms and even artillery. The Afghan military generally prefers not to fight the Taliban, but to lay down its arms or join the ranks of the militants.
On Thursday, June 24, militants launched an attack on the city of Kunduz, the main stronghold of government forces in the north. If the city is confiscated, the Taliban will secure much of the territory on the border with Tajikistan.
On the eve of the militants, they released a video shot in the city of Sher Khan Abad, right on the outskirts of Tajikistan. The militants removed the fortifications of the Tajik border guards and the fence at the border crossing. At the end of the video, militants promise to launch a march north in the near future to expand the influence of the “Islamic caliphate.”
As military expert Alexander Mikhailovsky said in an interview with the MK, it is unlikely that the Taliban will attempt an offensive north in the near future. However, the expert noted that if the militants in the country seize power, the situation in Central Asia could become significantly more complicated.
“The Taliban's task so far is to capture Kabul and unite their enclaves in the south and north of the country,” the expert said. – When all the forces come together, the group's command will have a numerically larger army than the armed forces of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan combined. In addition, they obviously have more combat experience and now also have a huge amount of military equipment in stock. I don't remember such a thing in world history that such small forces would capture so many weapons in such a short time. We can say that the United States donated all this equipment and weapons to the Taliban. For what? It's not hard to guess. They need a new hotbed of world tension, and in that sense, everything new is a well-forgotten old one. They are going to Afghanistan again …
According to the expert, Russia has a crucial role to play in resolving the situation in Central Asia. In the future, the expert believes that India, China and Iran may be involved in the process, which may create a new anti-terrorist coalition in the region.
– The soldiers most prepared for combat on the Taliban route are our Russian contingent of the 201st base in Dushanbe. I can't say anything bad about our neighbors' army, but their level is simply not the same. The Taliban has been fighting the US military for years, and has extensive experience with sabotage attacks, various assaults and provocations. They know how to hide from aviation, the mountains are their home for them.
As far as I know, a meeting of the defense ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will take place in the near future. There, these problems will be solved. To be honest, I have no idea how to handle this situation. But it seems to be up to us to resolve this. In stock – a month or two. Maybe three. And then the Taliban move on, and we'll feel it, too. It is strange that the media is still silent about this, the expert summed up.