U.S Military Withdrawal from Afghanistan Raises Security Concerns for Russia

According to Russian diplomats and analysts, the withdrawal of the U.S military, including all the warfare weapons, drones, and helicopters from Afghanistan, would create a Security threat for Russia. Moscow fears that the spiralling fighting would force refugees to enter the Central Asian backyard. It would create a jihadist threat or cause a civil war in the ex-Soviet state.

U.S military forces have left their main Bagram Air Base in the last week. Also, most of the NATO forces have evacuated the airbase.It has strengthened the Taliban making territorial advances and raising fears of taking the government power. Also, over 1000 Afghan Security personnel have been forced to escape to Tajikistan.

This has raised the concerns of Russia because it regards the region. It states that the region was once part of the former Soviet Union that was ruled by Moscow. It is concerned that it would create radical Islamist threats. Russia is still haunted by the Afghan war that occurred in 1979-89. Thus, Moscow is reluctant to engage its military in Afghanistan, stated top diplomats of Russia.

The top diplomats said that Afghanistan, an impoverished nation of 3.8 crores people, fought a civil war earlier. Now the Jihadists groups may pose a humanitarian challenge and could compromise the rights of women and girls along with other civil challenges. Uzbekistan could also face a blowback. However, the most vulnerable country from the Jihadists groups could be Tajikistan as the nation is brittle is seeing hereditary succession.