Advance of the Taliban on the Afghan-Iranian border
Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers patrol the area near a checkpoint taken over from the Taliban in the Alishing district of Laghman province, Afghanistan, July 8, 2021. REUTERS - PARWIZ
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The Taliban have taken control of two border posts with Iran, continuing their rapid advance in parts of northern Afghanistan, Iranian media reported.
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With our correspondent in Tehran,
Siavosh Ghazi
The Taliban have taken control of two important border posts with Iran and Afghan soldiers have taken refuge on the Iranian side, according to the country's media.
Suddenly, the Iranian customs organization has asked companies and traders not to send goods to these two border posts for the moment.
In recent days, more than a thousand Afghan soldiers have fled to Tajikistan to flee the Taliban.
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To read also:
Afghanistan: fear is growing among the population in the face of the Taliban advance
The Taliban's rapid advance comes as the Americans left their main base in Afghanistan, north of Kabul.
Iran, which has some 2 million Afghans on its soil, fears a new wave of Afghan refugees.
Tehran is also worried about the fate of the populations of northern Afghanistan who are Persian-speaking and predominantly Shiite.
The Taliban advance comes as Tehran organized a meeting between Afghan government officials and the Taliban.
In recent years, Iran, whose population is predominantly Shiite, has forged links with the Taliban, who are nevertheless extremist Sunnis hostile to Shiites.
Iran, which has always condemned the American presence in Afghanistan, supports a government that includes all Afghan parties, especially the Taliban.
But obviously, in the absence of American forces, the Afghan army is finding it increasingly difficult to resist.
Which could create an unpredictable situation for Iran on its eastern border.
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See also:
Afghanistan: Iran tries to mediate between Kabul and the Taliban
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Taliban
Iran
Afghanistan