Afghanistan and Central Asia

The security situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating over the last two years. In particular, several northern provinces have been under pressure from various militant groups. In some cases, battles between government and militant groups occurred close to Afghanistan’s border with the Central Asian states. In others, anti-government groups from inside Afghanistan attacked border regions of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. With growing instability in the northern parts of Afghanistan, Central Asian concerns are growing. What are risks from Afghanistan for Central Asia? And what are the responses of neighboring Central Asian states to these risks?