MOSCOW, Sept. 11 (Reuters) – Russia sent 12 armored vehicles and a large amount of military equipment to Tajikistan, its defense ministry said on Saturday, while Moscow wants to bolster its neighboring Central Asian ally with ‘Afghanistan.
Moscow has conducted military exercises in Tajikistan and expanded the hardware to its military base there, the largest in a foreign country, since the U.S. withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the capture of Taliban lightning.
Russia is concerned about the potential for falls in the wider region and the possibility of Islamist militants infiltrating Central Asia, which Moscow sees as its defensive buffer from the south.
“In the context of growing instability near the southern border of Tajikistan, we are working together to ensure the security of our states,” Major General Yevgeny Tsindyaikin said in a statement from the defense ministry.
The transfer of hardware, which also includes close combat equipment and protective equipment, will significantly modernize and enhance Tajikistan’s military capabilities, the ministry said.
Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan stretches for 1,344 km (835 miles), and much of it is mountainous and difficult to control.
Reports by Alexander Marrow; Edited by Andrew Cawthorne
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