US troop exodus from Afghanistan leaves Russia, China worried about extremists

Analysts have warned against underestimating the danger extremist groups in Afghanistan pose to the region, including countries like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan

Moscow and Beijing must work together if they are to prevent an upsurge of Islamist extremism in the region, experts say

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Afghan government soldiers sit at a bridge next to the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border after being forced to retreat by the Taliban. Photo: AP

Published: 5:00pm, 18 Jul 2021Updated: 10:38pm, 16 Aug 2021

The withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan has allowed the Taliban to capture large swathes of territory in the northern part of the country, with the group now claiming to control more than 85 per cent of Afghan territory.

With the United States saying its withdrawal is 95 per cent complete, the Taliban advance has forced more than 2,000 Afghan security force members and refugees to flee into neighbouring Tajikistan in recent days.

Afghan forces also made attempts to cross into Uzbekistan late last month, forcing Tashkent to put its military on alert and check the readiness of its ground and air defences along its border with Afghanistan.

This week, during a visit to Tajikistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the growing tensions between Afghanistan and its Central Asian neighbours.

Wang said China hoped Afghanistan would have a “widely inclusive” political power that would implement “stable and healthy” Muslim policies and oppose terrorism and extremism.

Temur Umarov, an expert on China and Central Asia and a research consultant at Carnegie Moscow Centre, said the mountainous 1,357km Afghan-Tajik border was of greater concern than the 144km Afghan-Uzbek border as it was harder to control.