Central Asian leaders warn of chaos as Taliban gain ground

Militants have made sweeping gains in border provinces

Central Asian leaders sounded the alarm over the spiral of war in neighbouring Afghanistan at a summit in Turkmenistan Friday, as U.S.-led forces withdraw from the country and the Taliban advances. The talks in the resort town of Avaza on the Caspian Sea came after the militant group made sweeping gains in provinces near Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — the three ex-Soviet countries bordering Afghanistan. After weeks of a blistering offensive through the countryside, the Taliban is now challenging Afghan government forces in several large cities. In a joint declaration, the five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — pledged to “provide all possible assistance” towards achieving peace in Afghanistan.