Tajikistan refuted US accusations in arms trafficking for Taliban

Tajikistan has refuted allegations that it was trafficking arms via its border with Afghanistan for the Taliban, says an official statement of the Foreign Ministry of Tajikistan.

The unfounded allegation of Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, on arms trafficking via Tajikistan to the Taliban Movement has caused deep regret, the ministry states.

“Tajikistan has never recognized legitimacy of the Taliban and, being supporter of searching for soonest peaceful settlement of the Afghanistan conflict, has never provided its territory for third countries to do such things that contradict the basic approaches and the principal position of the country towards issues of security and peace,” the statement runs.

As EADaily reported earlier, on March 23, in an interview to BBC, John Nicholson accused Russia of arms supplies to Afghanistan via Tajikistan. He said that Russia staged an anti-terror drill with Tajikistan near the Tajik-Afghani border and part of the weapons was left there and later sent to the Taliban.

In 2017, an Afghani MP announced on a secret supply of Russian weapons to the Taliban via the Tajik-Afghani border, but Tajik Ambassador to Afghanistan Sharofiddin Imomov called the report lies.