Caravanserai
  2. Health

    2021-07-23

    Tajikistan to receive US vaccines as China stonewalls virus probe

    As the United States donates 2 million vaccine doses to Tajikistan and Georgia, Beijing continues to resist WHO probe into COVID-19 origins.

  3. Security

    2021-07-22

    Tajik troops ready to protect border from Taliban insurgency

    Taliban promises not to attack Afghanistan's neighbours should be regarded with scepticism, say observers, as regional militaries prepare for increasing instability.

  4. Elections

    2021-07-21

    Leaked documents reveal Putin's plot to sway 2016 US election

    At a 2016 meeting, Vladimir Putin and other top Russian leaders hatched a plan to 'alter mass consciousness' among US voters, sow social chaos and weaken the American presidency.

Do you consider the Taliban a threat to security for Central Asia?

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Spotlight

In eastern Afghanistan, Taliban advances meet Beijing's Xinjiang oppression

Alarm is growing in Beijing over the prospect of having an Islamist group like the Taliban share a border with Xinjiang, where China is engaged in systematic oppression of Muslims.

In eastern Afghanistan, Taliban advances meet Beijing's Xinjiang oppression
  1. Security

    2021-07-20

    Al-Qaeda-linked fighters spotted in Taliban's ranks

    Dozens of foreign fighters have been killed in recent battles and Afghan forces have retrieved evidence indicating that al-Qaeda elements guide and train Afghan Taliban militants.

  2. Diplomacy

    2021-07-20

    US, Central Asia discuss ongoing partnership, Afghan situation

    Officials talked about how to realise Central Asia's potential as a transit, trade and energy hub, and about some critical challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and instability in Afghanistan.

  3. Human Rights

    2021-07-19

    In eastern Afghanistan, Taliban advances meet Beijing's Xinjiang oppression

    Alarm is growing in Beijing over the prospect of having an Islamist group like the Taliban share a border with Xinjiang, where China is engaged in systematic oppression of Muslims.

  1. Human Rights

    2021-07-16

    Sputnik Light seen as profit-making scheme exploiting 'guinea pig' migrants

    Central Asian migrants in Russia are being forced to be vaccinated with Sputnik Light, an unproven vaccine known to be less effective than Sputnik V, and have to pay triple the suggested cost for it.

  2. Crime & Justice

    2021-07-16

    US offers $10 million rewards in effort to stop foreign ransomware attacks

    US President Joe Biden raised ransomware forcefully in a summit last month with Russian President Vladimir Putin, threatening to take action directly if Moscow does not curb cyber crime.

  3. Security

    2021-07-15

    Uzbekistan eyes Afghan border with concern amid Taliban offensive

    Locals living along the border are in a state of fear as they can now hear the sounds of war with Taliban violence getting closer.

  4. Terrorism

    2021-07-15

    Bus attack highlights growing resentment of China in Pakistan

    Militants are reacting to China's blatant exploitation of Pakistan, Beijing's mistreatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, and the regime's ongoing disinformation campaign over COVID-19.

  5. Human Rights

    2021-07-14

    Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan see major gains in fight against human trafficking

    Despite difficult conditions amid the pandemic, the Kyrgyz and Uzbek governments were recognised for their efforts in countering the human rights issue.

  6. Security

    2021-07-13

    Taliban force residents to flee as they loot, torch homes during offensive

    In districts bordering Central Asia, Taliban fighters are searching for government supporters, burning homes, and looting businesses, in what observers are calling 'war crimes'.

  7. Economy

    2021-07-12

    Tipping the scales: China's predatory loans force countries into debt bondage

    The terms of Chinese loans, many affiliated with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), often contain extensive confidentiality clauses that tie debtors' hands in what critics call 'debt-trap diplomacy'.

  8. Human Rights

    2021-07-09

    Russian authorities propose new 'loyalty agreement' for Central Asians

    Russian authorities also are preventing migrants access to the much-touted Sputnik V vaccine, and instead are giving them an unauthorized 'light' version with unclear rates of efficacy.

  9. Education

    2021-07-08

    Abuse cases at illegal religious schools raise concerns in Uzbekistan

    Before police shut them down, underground schools forced students to go hungry and to endure beatings and exposure to extremist ideology.

  10. Analysis

    2021-07-07

    The great coverup: how China tried to trick the world about COVID-19

    Beijing's obsession with secrecy regarding the origins of the coronavirus has fuelled suspicions about the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

  11. Security

    2021-07-06

    Central Asia on alert as Afghan forces prepare counterattack against Taliban

    Tajik President Emomali Rahmon ordered the mobilisation of 20,000 reserve troops to further strengthen the border with Afghanistan.

  12. Health

    2021-07-05

    China's COVID-19 'global public good' turning a bad situation worse?

    Infection rates are spiking in countries that relied on Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines, while leaders in Beijing continue to tout their country's 'greatness' in defeating the virus.

  13. Security

    2021-07-02

    Central Asian states bolster security in response to Taliban activity along borders

    Taliban violence in recent weeks has reached the borders of Afghanistan's three Central Asian neighbours: Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. All three are ramping up their militaries.

  14. Security

    2021-07-01

    US, Kazakhstan team up to assist Central Asian countries, Afghanistan

    Joint efforts between the two countries aim to promote democratic principles and protect human rights, expand prosperity, ensure social stability and improve health.

  15. Business

    2021-06-30

    In new era of trust, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan step up co-operation

    Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's recent visit to Tajikistan saw dozens of new agreements between the two countries, with trade and co-operation at an all time high.

  16. Crime & Justice

    2021-06-29

    US government aids Tajik crime fight with new electronic registration system

    The United States also helped open five new community policing centres around the country that aim to strengthen 'the police-public partnership through trust-building and dialogue'.

  17. Human Rights

    2021-06-28

    Chinese policies could prevent births of over 4 million Muslim babies in Xinjiang

    Beijing is actively pursuing a policy of decreasing the number of children born to ethnic minorities, and increasing the number of Han Chinese as part of ongoing demographic manipulations.

  18. Security

    2021-06-25

    Kazakhstan's new National Security Strategy takes aim at Russian threats

    The strategy seeks to protect Kazakhstan's sovereignty and citizens from a variety of threats, including many stemming from Russia.

  19. Media

    2021-06-24

    US spreads awareness of Russia's 'disinformation ecosystem' on COVID-19

    'The tragic fact is that Russian disinformation undermines trust in all vaccines,' a top US official told Central Asian journalists and scholars in an online forum.

  20. Terrorism

    2021-06-23

    Uzbekistan tightens control over study at foreign religious schools

    The government is bringing religion students home from abroad and turning others back at its borders as evidence suggests many students are not ending up where they should.

  21. Politics

    2021-06-22

    Syrian students see foreign language options dwindle as Moscow pushes Russian

    Russia's soft power plan to increase its control over the Middle Eastern country should come as no surprise to people in Central Asia who have been subject to similar plans for decades.