Over 1,000 Afghan Troops Flee Taliban Into Tajikistan

The exodus of Afghan troops followed another weekend of fighting across much of the northern countryside where the Taliban have overrun dozens of districts, spurring fears that Afghan forces are in crisis.

More than 1,000 Afghan troops fled into neighbouring Tajikistan on Monday following clashes with the Taliban, as the insurgents amassed momentum on the battlefield. The exodus of troops followed another weekend of fighting across much of the northern countryside where the Taliban have overrun dozens of districts, spurring fears that Afghan forces are in crisis. "They did not want to surrender. They had asked for reinforcements but their call was ignored," said Abdul Basir, a soldier based with a battalion in Badakhshan province that had members flee over the border. The United States announced Friday that it had handed over Bagram Air Base -- the centre of its operations -- to Afghan security forces, effectively wrapping up operations in the country following nearly two decades of fighting.