Tajikistan asks Russian-led military bloc to help it deal with Afghan fallout- RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Tajikistan on Wednesday called on members of a Russian-led military bloc to help it deal with security challenges emerging from neighbouring Afghanistan, the RIA news agency reported.

The security situation in Afghanistan has rapidly deteriorated as foreign troops withdraw after 20 years, and hundreds of Afghan servicemen have crossed the border with Tajikistan in response to advances by the Taliban.

Tajikistan made its appeal to help to the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).

The CSTO is a post-Soviet security bloc led by Russia which includes the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan as members.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Andrew Osborn)