Russia urges calm between ally Tajikistan, Afghanistan

Russia said it had heard of reports that Tajikistan and Afghanistan were sending troops to their common border and urged them to resolve any dispute in a mutually acceptable manner, RIA quoted the Russian foreign ministry as saying on Friday. It was not immediately clear to which reports he was referring. Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon has refused to recognise the Taliban-appointed cabinet in Kabul. Russia operates a military base in Tajikistan.

Russia said it had heard of reports that Tajikistan and Afghanistan were sending troops to their common border and urged them to resolve any dispute in a mutually acceptable manner, RIA quoted the Russian foreign ministry as saying on Friday. It was not immediately clear to which reports he was referring.

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon has refused to recognize the Taliban-appointed cabinet in Kabul. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern on Wednesday for U.S.-trained Afghan pilots and other personnel being held in Tajikistan after fleeing across the border from Afghanistan last month as the Taliban took power.

In the war's final moments, the U.S.-backed Afghan Air Force personnel flew dozens of military aircraft across the Afghan border to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and were detained there. Russia operates a military base in Tajikistan.