Moscow (Russia):Russia has sent military equipment to border areas between Tajikistan and Afghanistan to prevent possible threats as Taliban mount blistering offensive in the war-torn country, Tolo News reported. Moscow is concerned about a potential spillover of the instability into neighbouring ex-Soviet Central Asian countries where Russia maintains military bases. In recent weeks, hundreds of Afghans including police and government troops have fled the country and entered bordering countries Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Taliban have claimed of capturing 90 per cent of Afghanistan territory's border with neighbouring countries. Recently it was reported that Russia will reinforce its military base in Tajikistan with 17 infantry fighting vehicles. Tajikistan is host to more than 6,000 Russian servicemen deployed to the Russian Ground Forces' 201st military base, one of Russia's few military sites on foreign soil. "We'll do everything, including using the capabilities of the Russian military base on the border of Tajikistan with Afghanistan, to prevent any aggressive encroachments against our allies," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said early this month.