The foreign ministers of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan were invited to Washington earlier this month
American diplomats are currently working to identify a close-by spot to respond to any resurgence of outside militants in Afghanistan after the US military withdraws. They are in fact escalating a charm offensive with Central Asian leaders this week.
However, Afghanistan’s neighbours seem to have doubts about any such security partnering with the United States. It may be recalled, in 2001, post the 9/11 attacks plotted by Al-Qaida in Afghanistan, Central Asian countries had made available their territory for US bases.
There’s distrust of the US as a reliable long-term partner, former American diplomats say, as war in Afghanistan was only partly successful and then there were years of widely fluctuating US. Russia has completely ruled out a possibility, stating that a permanent US military base here would be “unacceptable.” Taliban leadership, in a diplomatic push of its own, pledging that it will pursue regional security, peace and trade, has been visiting regional capitals and Moscow this summer.
Biden administration makes efforts to ensure that Taliban does not once again allow use of Afghanistan as a base to mount attacks on the United States by Islamist extremists. US relations with Central Asia are now a security issue.
“We’ve taken a hit through our failures in Afghanistan” in credibility, Herbst said.
Biden administration makes efforts to ensure that Taliban does not once again allow use of Afghanistan as a base to mount attacks on the United States by Islamist extremists. US relations with Central Asia are now a security issue. The US also reportedly looked at neighbouring countries for the temporary relocation of Afghan translators and other US employees.
The Biden administration invited the foreign ministers of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to Washington.
All are countries urgently and directly affected by whether Afghanistan again becomes a refuge for extremism upon the US withdrawal.
The region waits now to see if the Taliban makes good on its pledge to be a good neighbour.