KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban authorities and Turkmen border officials have discussed security along the shared border and agreed to strengthen coordination between border forces, the Taliban Defense Ministry said on Friday.
In a statement posted on X, the ministry said the two delegations were led by Abdul Wasi Nazari, commander of the 11th Border Brigade of the Taliban’s 209th Al-Fath Corps, and Makhdumquli Berdyev, commander of a Turkmen border brigade.
The sides discussed security in border areas and ways to improve coordination between border guards on both sides, the ministry said. They also pledged to make further efforts to strengthen security and cooperation along the frontier.
The talks come amid ongoing concerns among Afghanistan’s northern neighbors about security threats linked to instability and militant activity inside Afghanistan.
Afghanistan shares borders with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to the north. The three countries have strengthened border security in recent years amid concerns over militant groups, illegal migration, drug trafficking and other cross-border threats.
The security situation along Afghanistan’s northern frontier has drawn particular attention from regional governments since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Central Asian states have repeatedly expressed concern that armed groups based in Afghanistan could seek to expand their activities beyond the country’s borders.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russia-led security alliance that includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Russia, has repeatedly identified instability in Afghanistan as a significant regional security concern. The bloc has warned about the potential spread of militant activity, drug trafficking and other threats into Central Asia.
Tajikistan has been among the most vocal of Afghanistan’s northern neighbors in raising security concerns. Dushanbe has repeatedly called for stronger controls along the Afghan border and urged the Taliban to prevent armed groups from using Afghan territory to threaten other countries.
The Taliban authorities, however, say that they will not allow Afghan territory to be used against other countries.
