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Updated January 12th, 2022 at 10:11 IST

US asks Tajikistan, Uzbekistan to allow military bases for special ops in Afghanistan

The US has been persistent in convincing governments of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to allow setting up military bases in the Central Asian territories. Read on

Reported by: Dipaneeta Das
US
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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In a bid to oversee operations and conduct special missions in Afghanistan, the United States has been persistent in convincing the governments of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to allow setting up military bases in the territory of the Central Asian countries. As per a report in the Frontier Post, the deployment of the military will enable America to deliver "over-the-horizon" missile strikes there against the reconnaissance targets using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The report comes after Under-Secretary of Defence for Policy, Colin Kal, during a hearing in the US Senate Armed Service Committee in October hinted that Washington will bribe Tajik and Uzbek leadership, if necessary, to establish bases in Central Asia.

The report highlights the need to mitigate terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. In another article in the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, an expert suggested that for Washington to secure a stronghold against the Taliban it is necessary to recognise resistance forces like the National Salvation Front as an ally of the US and begin conversations through diplomatic channels. Additionally, the US also needs to identify allies in Afghanistan's neighbouring countries.

The US tends to locate bases on Tajikistan and Uzbekistan territories at all costs. This will enable the Pentagon and Central Command (CENTCOM) to host UVAs along with the infrastructure for maintenance and support command posts, the Frontier Post reported. This became a highlight after a botched US Air Force drone attack that killed innocent Afghans during mass evacuation in August. However, Washington doesn't only aim at providing support to resistance forces against the Taliban, instead conducts target designations and assesses results of drone strikes with the help of ethnic Tajiks based in Afghanistan.  

Moscow opposes US military presence in Central Asia

Meanwhile, Moscow has strongly opposed US military presence in Central Asia as it Kremlin considers it is important for Russia to organise strategic defence ties in the territory. Although Russia believes that the penetration of radical elements from Afghanistan towards the Russian Federation is a massive threat to security, it doesn't support that presence of US forces will anyhow curb the threats. On the contrary, Washington will use them "in every possible way" as an "instrument of a proxy war against Russia," the Frontier Post said.

(Image: AP)

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Published January 12th, 2022 at 10:11 IST

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