Russia attacks helicopters, pledges help secure Tajik-Afghan border Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian military helicopters deployed in Tajikistan fired surface-to-air missiles at a training exercise on Tuesday, Moscow said its Central Asian nation forces are fully equipped to help secure the Afghan border.

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon on Monday ordered the mobilization of 20,000 military reservists to bolster the Afghan border, as more than 1,000 Afghan security personnel fled the border in response to advances by Taliban militants.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Rakhmon on Monday that Moscow would help the impoverished former Soviet republic to allow NATO to withdraw from its next exit from Afghanistan if necessary.

Russia, one of the largest military bases abroad in Tajikistan with tanks, helicopters, drones and ground attack aircraft, would help stabilize the Afghan border if necessary, either directly or through a regional security bloc, the Kremlin said in a statement. .

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko reiterated that commitment on Monday and the Interfax news agency reported that it appeared that the Taliban controlled most of the Afghan border.

“The situation there is quite tense, as according to some sources, 70% of the Tajik-Afghan border is now controlled by the Taliban,” Rudenko said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday that two MI-24 attack helicopters and two military transport helicopters fired missile-free missiles at more than 15 ground targets during a training exercise in Tajikistan.

The exercise simulated an attack on illegal armed groups with a convoy of cars, along with enemy fire points and weapon caches.