The US Government Will Help Secure the Border...for Tajikistan

Julio Rosas | September 02, 2021 11:45 AM

In the aftermath of Afghanistan now in the hands of the Taliban, the borders to countries nearby are experiencing a border crisis of their own with thousands of Afghans trying to flee the terror group's return to power.

To help Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan to the north, the United States government will build new facilities for border guards so Tajikistan can better secure its southern border, according to Reuters.

"The new facility, which will be built in Tajikistan's southwestern tip, will replace an outdated detachment and allow border guards to "deploy forces more quickly to border areas in response to threats," the embassy said.
"Tajikistan, which has pledged to accept 100,000 Afghan refugees escaping the Taliban, hosts a Russian military base and is a member of a Moscow-led post-Soviet security bloc.
"Moscow has reinforced its military base in Tajikistan and its forces are holding a month of exercises near the border with Afghanistan."

The irony of such a move by the U.S. is not lost on me, as someone who has spent weeks at the U.S.-Mexico border to cover the ongoing crisis. Not saying the U.S. should not help when asked, but there could not be a better example of the U.S. government trying to solve someone else's issues while ignoring a similar problem at home. While Afghanistan was the main focus for the past two weeks, the crisis at our southern border has not improved.

The news cycle has been all things Afghanistan over the past two weeks and rightfully so.

Down on the US-MEX border, @CBP is still seeing 21-yr highs in illegal migration. The last 6 months of rising apprehensions at the border put 2021 on par to surpass levels seen since 1924.
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) September 2, 2021