Central Asia

There is increasing concern among Central Asia states about the situation unfolding in Afghanistan as US troops finalise their withdrawal from the country. Taliban forces have made huge inroads in recent weeks, occupying large swaths of territory previously in the hands of government forces.

Taliban fighters appear poised to capture the strategically and symbolically important city of Helmand in southern Afghanistan. Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters have been locked in heavy clashes for the last two days after the insurgents entered the city which is also the capital of the southern province that bears the same name. Sources say many civilians are trying to flee the city.

Speaking at the start of one of the largest international events to take place in the Uzbek capital for decades, the president of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, spoke of the need for the revival of mutual ties in Central and South Asia, where about two billion people live today. Regional and world leaders are attending the International Conference “Central and South Asia: Regional Interconnectedness. Challenges and Opportunities”, including high level officials from the EU and the US, the President of Afghanistan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the foreign ministers of the Central and South Asian countries, and delegations from 44 countries and about 30 international organisations.

China is rushing to build or increase security ties in Central Asia in the face of a Taliban advance following the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan next month. However, some sources claim China is actually financing the Taliban, a report in the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta says.

In Russia, and in the former Soviet states of Central Asia, there is growing concern about the situation in Afghanistan. Russian media has been urging the authorities to prepare for a Taliban takeover after the US and NATO complete their withdrawal from the country, now scheduled for 31 August, speculating that this will trigger a full-scale power shift in the country within several months.