Daily US Times: Officials have said that more than 1,000 Afghan soldiers have fled to neighbouring Tajikistan after clashing with Taliban militants.

The soldiers retreated over the border to “save their own lives”, a statement by Tajikistan’s border guard said.

Violence has risen in Afghanistan as US troops are leaving the country and the Taliban have been making significant gains, particularly in the north of Afghanistan, in recent weeks.

The surge comes as the US and Nato troops withdraw after 20 years.

The vast majority of remaining foreign forces in the country have left ahead of a September deadline. There are concerns that the Afghan military, who were supposed to take over Afghanistan’s security, will collapse.

Under a deal with the Taliban, the United States and its Nato allies agreed to withdraw all soldiers in return for a commitment by the militants not to allow any extremist group to operate in the areas they control.

But the Taliban didn’t agree to stop fighting Afghan forces, and now reportedly control about a third of Afghanistan.

The retreat is the third time Afghan troops have fled to Tajikistan over the past three days and the fifth case over the past fortnight. In total, nearly 1,600 soldiers have crossed the Afghan border to reach Tajikistan.

The latest group of Afghan soldiers sought refuge early on Monday morning after fighting with Taliban militants during the night, Tajikistan’s National Security Committee said.

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