PESHAWAR: Pakistan Army has given refuge and secure passage to 46 Afghan troops who fled across the border amid advances by the Taliban.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan Army secured refuge and safe passage on the request of the officers Afghan Afghan National Army and Border Police including five officers.
The military’s press wing said that due to the intense situation in Afghanistan, the Afghan troops could not defend their posts and reached Chitral from Arundu Sector later at night and contacted the army commander.
It further said that after contacting Afghan authorities and necessary military procedures, 46 soldiers including five officers were given refuge and safe passage into Pakistan
The Pakistani military provided food, shelter and medical care to Afghan soldiers as per established military norms. The ISPR said the Afghan troops will soon be repatriated in a dignified manner.
Pakistan provided similar protection to 35 Afghan soldiers earlier on July 1 after being unable to defend their military post along with the Pak-Afghan border. They were also given safe passage into Pakistan and handed over to Afghan government authorities after the due procedure.
Earlier in July, more than 1,000 Afghan security personnel fled across the border into Tajikistan following Taliban advances in northern Afghanistan.
The Taliban had taken over six key districts in the northern province of Badakshan, which borders both Tajikistan and China, following which 1,037 Afghan servicemen fled across the Tajik border.
US offers support
The United States will continue to carry out airstrikes to support Afghan forces facing attack from the insurgent Taliban, a regional US commander said as forces have drawn down troops in Afghanistan. The Taliban has escalated its offensive in recent weeks, taking rural districts and surrounding provincial capitals.
“The United States has increased airstrikes in support of Afghan forces over the last several days and we’re prepared to continue this heightened level of support in the coming weeks if the Taliban continue their attacks,” US Marine General Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie told a news conference in Kabul.
McKenzie, who leads US Central Command, which controls US forces for a region that includes Afghanistan, declined to say whether US forces would continue airstrikes after the end of their military mission on August 31.
“The government of Afghanistan faces a stern test in the days ahead … The Taliban are attempting to create a sense of inevitability about their campaign,” he said, adding that Taliban victory was not inevitable and a political solution remained a possibility.
Afghanistan’s military is overhauling its war strategy against the Taliban to concentrate forces around the most critical areas like Kabul and other cities, border crossings and vital infrastructure.
