U.S. Looks To Uzbekistan And Tajikistan For Troops Departing Afghanistan

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The U.S. is working on finding locations for new bases for its troops and gear after the Afghanistan withdrawal.

The Pentagon wishes to keep its footprint in Central Asia and the Middle East.

Preferable, in accordance with some navy and Biden administration officers, could be Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, which border Afghanistan and would permit for fast entry, the WSJ reported.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, traveled to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan earlier, and discussed efforts to establish peace in Afghanistan, and this reportedly is of concern to both of its neighbors.

The hastened planning to seek out regional footholds for the U.S. navy is a part of a common scramble to fulfill the September deadline set by US President Joe Biden.

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are not interested in hosting American troops withdrawn from Afghanistan on their territory, Zamir Kabulov, Russian President’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Director of the Second Asia Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed in an interview with Izvestia.

“Our contacts with Tajik and Uzbek partners indicate that there was no official appeal to them. This time. Secondly, they made it clear that this is Therefore, we do not have to particularly oppose this,” Kabulov said, commenting on a recent report by The Wall Street Journal about the interest of the States in deploying military bases in these states.

At the same time, the diplomat recalled that Tajikistan is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), therefore “such decisions must be approved by the organization.”

“Uzbekistan is not a member of the CSTO, but it has a strategic partnership with Russia. In addition, a law has been passed in Uzbekistan prohibiting the creation of foreign military bases on the country’s territory. So we do not need to worry too much about this,” Kabulov summed up in an interview with the outlet.

As Interfax previously reported, in early May, The Wall Street Journal, citing US military officials, wrote that American analysts were considering the countries of Central Asia and the Middle East as an option to move troops and equipment from Afghanistan.

According to the publication of The Wall Street Journal, the redeployment of troops, unmanned aerial vehicles, bombers and artillery to these regions, the creation of military bases in the countries of the region, according to US analysts, will continue to control the Taliban in Afghanistan to avoid hostilities after the withdrawal of foreign troops.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• Military Situation In Afghanistan On May 22, 2021 (Map Update)
• Military Situation In Afghanistan On May 20, 2021 (Map Update)

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