Afghanistan Taliban War: Afghan Soldiers Take Refuge In Pakistan
Afghanistan Taliban War: Afghan soldiers take refuge in Pakistan after losing border posts.
The Pakistani military said on Monday that 46 Afghan soldiers have taken refuge in the country after losing control of military posts across the border following the advance of Taliban insurgents.
Hundreds of Afghan army soldiers and civilian officials have fled to neighboring Tajikistan, Iran, and Pakistan in recent weeks following Taliban attacks in border areas.
The Afghan military commander requested asylum at the border crossing in Chitral in the north, the Pakistani military said in a statement.
The troops were given safe passage into Pakistan on Sunday night after approval from the Afghan authorities.
“Afghan soldiers have been provided with food, shelter, and necessary medical care as per established military norms,” the statement said.
This step has been taken at the time of bad relations between the neighbors. Afghanistan withdrew its diplomats from Pakistan after the brief abduction of the Afghan ambassador’s daughter in Islamabad earlier this month.
The Taliban intensified its offensive after the United States announced in April that it would withdraw its troops by September. With America’s departure, 20 years of foreign military presence will end.
Afghanistan Taliban War: Washington has said it will continue to conduct airstrikes to support Afghan forces facing rebel attacks.
The Afghan government and Taliban negotiators have met in Qatar’s capital Doha in recent weeks, though diplomats say there have been some signs of concrete progress since peace talks began in September.
Afghan and US officials have said that Afghanistan’s forces, which are battling battlefield losses, are working to concentrate forces around key areas such as Kabul and other cities, across the border and critical infrastructure in their war strategy against the Taliban.
At the same time, the Pakistan Army said that the soldiers who had sought asylum would be returned to Afghanistan after due process, as was the case with another batch of 35 soldiers earlier in July.
