Introduction to translation

What is happening in Afghanistan does not stop at the borders of Afghanistan, as the article published by "Eurasia Net" explains about the rapid impact of the Taliban's control of power on the Uzbek city of Termez on the border with Afghanistan.

What is happening in Termez, which is 80 kilometers from the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif?

How did the city's fate relate to the Afghan situation since the Soviet invasion?

What will happen to Uzbekistan after the Taliban takeover?

translation text

The Uzbek city of Termez usually doesn't interest anyone.

However, history sometimes passes through that city in southern Uzbekistan, just as it did when Soviet forces withdrew from Afghanistan at the end of the eighties, and thousands of Soviet soldiers passed over the "Friendship Bridge" that crosses the famous "Gihon" river.

The "Friendship Bridge" that crosses the famous "Gihon" River

At another date in history, the city rose from its slumber on the night of last August 14, during the Taliban's takeover of the Afghan city of "Mazar Sharif", which is only 80 kilometers from Termez, and soon the collapse of the Afghan government forces led to the flight of hundreds of soldiers, civilians and fighters. Towards Uzbekistan, videos spread on social media of the pandemonium in the border region as trucks loaded with men from Afghanistan, some armed with submachine guns, set out in hopes of being allowed to enter Uzbekistan via the Friendship Bridge.

It did not take long for the echoes of the Afghan chaos to reach Termez. Every night after dark, vehicles of the Uzbek National Guard drive the main streets, breaking their silence with the occasional chirping of beeps. The anxiety escalated a few nights ago, and the residents were sleeping, as Mastura Khamraeva, a 29-year-old resident of the city, said: “The noise suddenly erupted on the night of August 14, and the car horns sounded more and more, and I realized that there was something at Borders. I was terrified and looked at my phone and didn't find anything, but I knew what happened next."

The Uzbek authorities themselves were surprised by how quickly Mazar-i-Sharif fell to the Taliban, according to Abrar Kurban Muradov, a journalist from the city: “Police and army forces suddenly took notice throughout the city, and a column of heavy and light vehicles lined up to move quickly towards the border. Journalists were not allowed to By passing, you are stopped at the first checkpoint, while one needs to cross three points to reach the border.”

The next morning, the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs broke its silence. At 7 am, it issued a statement saying that 84 soldiers of the Afghan army crossed the border into Uzbekistan and were arrested by the Uzbek border guards, among whom were wounded. On the same day, Uzbek railway workers were evicted from their work site at Heratan, the name of the border point leading to Mazar-i-Sharif. The Foreign Ministry statement indicated that Uzbekistan is negotiating with the Afghan government to return the soldiers to Afghanistan, before events take place quickly the next day (August 15) and the Taliban seizes the capital, Kabul, and sits at the top of Afghan power.

Ahmed Siyam, an official at the Afghan consulate in Termez, told Eurasia Net that one of the refugees in the city is Abd al-Rashid Dostum, the Uzbek leader and former vice president of Afghanistan, in addition to Atta Muhammad Nur, the former governor of the province. Balkh". Reports indicate that "Dostum" owns a house in Termez, while "Noor" stayed in a hotel in the city. "About 1,500 Afghan citizens gathered at the bridge between 14-15 August and wanted to enter Uzbekistan, all but the 84 soldiers loyal to Dostum and Nur were denied entry."

With the Taliban in control of the entire border region, the bridge is now empty, and no one can leave the country, at least legally.

On August 16, the Public Prosecutor's Office issued a statement announcing that 158 ​​Afghan soldiers and civilians swam across the Ojihon River to Uzbekistan, but quickly retracted the statement due to the inaccurate information it said.

Afghan shelter

Termez, with its huge shopping center and more liberal lifestyle, has long been a refuge for many Afghans even in times of stability, and there are 2,000 Afghan students living in the city permanently, according to the Afghan consulate, and now they cannot return or receive others across the bridge given the The situation on the borders of the two countries.

For Uzbeks, all eyes are on the rise of the Taliban and what it means for the security of Uzbekistan. In a pessimistic voice, Roshan Nazarov says his country needs to strengthen its defenses to protect its secular nature and stability, discrediting the claim that the Taliban is not interested in what is going on outside Afghan borders, and pointing to the movement's transnational ideological roots: "Central Asian countries should, not Especially Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, which are the countries bordering Afghanistan, to put their armed forces on high alert and to strengthen the system of joint regional defense.

For his part, Kamaluddin Rabimov, an Uzbek analyst based in France, has a different opinion, saying that the Taliban is not interested in destabilizing Afghanistan, let alone sowing unrest among its neighbors, but is only seeking power: “The Taliban have gained strength, and now they need to To maintain it, and then it needs to pay attention to the basic needs of society to keep power in its hands, which means gradually seeking to strengthen stability.”

Termez will definitely pin her hopes on Rabimov's opinion in the end. Afghan diplomats like Ahmed Siyam remain skeptical about their future. Siyam says the Taliban contacted him and asked that embassies and consulates continue to function normally: “The government in Afghanistan is new, and there are not enough trained people in the ranks of the Taliban (to do these tasks). So, we were asked to continue our diplomatic missions. However, the flag of the old government is flying as It is above the consulate, as we cannot change it with the white flag of the Taliban until Uzbekistan recognizes the new government."

Perhaps Tashkent, in turn, is inclined to recognize the new situation. Its embassy in Kabul and its consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif have not stopped working, and the Uzbek government has already begun sending quiet messages to Kabul.

“The Uzbek side maintains close contact with representatives of the Taliban on issues such as border protection and maintaining calm in the border region,” reads the statement of the Uzbek Foreign Ministry issued on August 17 last.

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Translation: Noor Khairy

This report is translated from Eurasianet and does not necessarily reflect the Medan website.