On Monday July 5, Tajikistan Ambassador to Afghanistan Sa’di Sharifi met in Kabul with Hamdullah Muhib, the Adviser to the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for National Security Matters.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, the two discussed the situation in Afghanistan’s areas bordering Tajikistan.
Tajik diplomat reportedly noted that the issues of border security and the security situation in Afghanistan are in the focus of the Government of Tajikistan. He added that Tajikistan wants an end to the war and a negotiated solution to the Afghan conflict.
Recall, the Afghan national security adviser told RIA news agency on July 5 that Afghan government forces were planning a counteroffensive in the north to retake ground from the Taliban militants.
Hamdullah Muhib, who was in Moscow for talks with Russian officials, said government forces had not expected the Taliban offensive but would “absolutely, definitely” counterattack.
Following a top security meeting on July 5, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon reportedly ordered 20,000 reserve officers to the Afghan border.
Tajik authorities say that two-thirds of the 1,357-kilometer-long border with Afghanistan is under Taliban control and they are preparing for an influx of refugees to enter the country. They are already providing more than 1,500 Afghan soldiers who were forced to flee into Tajikistan with food and shelter, according to Radio Liberty.
