Uzbekistan not keen to admit Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban

3 years ago 303

TERMEZ – When Sami Elbigi heard astir the Taliban's beforehand towards Mazar-e-Sharif, a metropolis successful bluish Afghanistan that has been the main hub of anti-Taliban resistance, helium knew it was clip to run.

He took his phones, a suit and immoderate covering and kissed his parent goodbye. A thought crossed his caput that mightiness beryllium the past clip helium volition ever spot her.

Elbigi, 30, near his Afghan hometown of Hairatan and rushed to the Uzbek border. He inactive had a valid concern visa owed to his profitable cross-border lipid company, truthful entering Uzbekistan wasn't a problem. But helium was 1 of the fortunate fewer who managed to find refuge successful the ex-Soviet republic successful caller days — those without visas person not been allowed in.

“The Taliban takeover happened truthful fast, we person not expected that. I inactive cannot judge it,” Elbigi told The Associated Press, sitting successful a cafe successful Termez, an Uzbek metropolis adjacent to the Afghan border, with numb disbelief connected his face.

“My visa expires successful 1 month, and I don’t cognize what I volition bash next. I person nary plan. I near everything behind,” helium said.

As the Taliban took power of Afghanistan successful a swift powerfulness grab, thousands of Afghans person been looking for ways to flight what they spot arsenic a instrumentality of a ruthless fundamentalist rule. But neighboring Uzbekistan appears wary astir a flood of Afghan refugees.

Afghan citizens who applied for Uzbek visas successful caller months told The Associated Press that Uzbekistan has been refusing visas to Afghans, citing coronavirus concerns.

Experts enactment that Uzbek authorities person agelong maintained a tightly closed borderline with Afghanistan, fearing an influx of extremists, and person lone accepted a fistful of asylum-seekers from its unstable neighbor.

Since the Taliban controlled Afghanistan successful the 1990s, "the Uzbek authorities has continually refused to motion and ratify the Refugee Convention — 1 of the astir wide observed treaties successful the satellite — which would necessitate it to supply immoderate benignant of processing and extortion to those seeking asylum retired of fearfulness of persecution,” said Steve Swerdlow, a quality rights lawyer and subordinate prof of quality rights astatine the University of Southern California.

The Taliban's advances successful Afghanistan successful caller months made respective Central Asian nations nervous, prompting authorities successful Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to ramp up borderline security. Afghanistan borders Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and a tiny portion on China's Xinjiang region.

Last week, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Russia finished associated subject drills successful the Tajik portion of Khatlon, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Afghan border. On Tuesday, the Russian subject started different workout successful Tajikistan. China and Russia held associated subject exercises past week successful northwest China.

But the dilatory vibe of the confederate Uzbek metropolis of Termez bears fewer traces of the unfolding situation crossed the border. A fewer Afghans successful accepted two-piece garments locomotion down the streets but metropolis beingness continues undisturbed.

Termez, a mostly Persian-speaking city, has agelong been a municipality of prime for galore Afghans moving to Uzbekistan.

Together with the U.N. Development Program, the Uzbek authorities successful 2019 opened the Termez Centre for Education successful Afghanistan, a spot wherever Afghan girls facing hurdles successful acquisition could proceed their studies. Men from bluish Afghanistan person besides acceptable up businesses successful the city.

For the past 3 years, Fayzad Hasanzoda, 20, and his member successfully ran a edifice successful Termez. They said they invested $1 cardinal successful the venture, which makes their enactment successful Uzbekistan secure. But contempt their precocious societal presumption successful Uzbekistan, they were incapable to assistance their household flight from Afghanistan.

“I applied for a visa for my parents, my member and sister 2 months ago. Normally it takes a week to person it, but we inactive haven't gotten immoderate response,” Hasanzoda told the AP. “We privation them to articulation america successful Uzbekistan, but it’s not easy.”

Since the warring successful bluish Afghanistan intensified, determination are regular reports astir Afghan soldiers fleeing crossed the highly guarded borderline but they are routinely sent back.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry reported that 84 Afghan servicemen crossed into Uzbekistan connected Saturday and asked for assistance. The ministry said it was successful interaction with Afghan officials regarding their return.

There are exceptions, however. On Aug. 14, Abdul Rashid Dostum, an Afghan service commander, erstwhile bluish warlord and vice president, crossed into Uzbekistan with a radical of followers, which marked his surrender successful the combat with the Taliban for power of Afghanistan's bluish districts. His existent whereabouts are unclear, but the commander, an taste Uzbek, has a location successful Termez and has maintained adjacent ties with the Uzbek government.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry’s quality agency, Dunyo, said connected Tuesday that media reports astir “the alleged presence” of Dostum, arsenic good arsenic different erstwhile warlord, Ata Mohammad Noor, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani successful Uzbekistan were, “according to authoritative information, not true.”

On Sunday, an Afghan subject level crashed successful Uzbekistan. Two pilots aboard survived and were hospitalized. Official Uzbek reports emerged Monday past were retracted astir hundreds of Afghan subject troops reaching Uzbekistan successful dozens of craft that were forced to onshore successful Termez. The AP could not independently verify those reports.

The “Friendship Bridge” astatine the Uzbek-Afghan borderline remains eerily quiet. Local residents accidental that not adjacent Afghans who unrecorded successful Uzbekistan are allowed backmost successful these days.

How galore Afghan refugees person been taken successful by Uzbekistan remains unclear. On Monday, the country's Prosecutor General's bureau said 158 Afghan civilians and soldiers tried to illegally participate Uzbekistan crossed a river. In the aforesaid statement, officials alleged that 22 Afghan warplanes and 24 subject helicopters with 585 Afghan troops illegally entered Uzbekistan’s airspace and were forced to onshore astatine Termez.

Shortly after, the Prosecutor General's bureau withdrew the statement, claiming it wasn't based connected “verified information from applicable authorities.”

On Tuesday, Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry warned that immoderate attempts to interruption the borderline would beryllium “harshly suppressed." The ministry said Uzbek authorities maintained “close contacts” with the Taliban connected borderline issues.

A thrust past the Termez Airport showed locals stopping on the roadworthy to look astatine galore helicopters that were not determination the time earlier — adjacent though it's intolerable to archer from the region whether they were Uzbek oregon Afghan subject aircraft.

Swerdlow, the quality rights lawyer, thinks Uzbekistan should unfastened its borders to hopeless Afghan refugees.

“This unfolding situation — and Tashkent’s existent spot connected the U.N. Human Rights Council -- underlines however important it is for the U.S. authorities and different planetary partners to impulse Uzbekistan to instrumentality the (refugee) convention, supply due aid, and refrain from pushing persons who fearfulness persecution oregon torture backmost into Afghanistan,” helium said.

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Associated Press writer Daria Litvinova successful Moscow contributed.

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Follow each AP stories connected developments successful Afghanistan astatine https://apnews.com/hub/Afghanistan.

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