Posted on 07/05/21
| News Source: i24
Country's situation appears to be rapidly deteriorating as foreign troops near a complete withdrawal
Approximately 1,000 Afghan security personnel fled to neighboring Tajikistan Sunday as Taliban forces advanced in the north of the war-torn country, according to a Tajik border guard service.
The crossings highlight the rapidly deteriorating situation in the country as foreign troops - who have been stationed in Afghanistan for some 20 years - near their complete withdrawal.
Hundreds of Afghan security force members have fled swift Taliban advances in the north, but Sunday's retreats were the largest confirmed, coming just two days after the United States officially vacated its main Bagram base in Afghanistan as part of a plan to withdraw all foreign troops by September 11, reported Reuters.
A seemingly unchecked Taliban advance has occurred in six key areas in the northern province of Badakshan, which abuts the border with Tajikistan and China.
On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani spoke to his Tajik counterpart, President Emomali Rakhmon, over the phone to discuss the developments.
"Special attention was paid to the escalation of the situation in Afghanistan's northern areas adjacent to Tajikistan," a statement from the Tajik president's office said.