Expert: "Kyrgyzstan urgently needs to strengthen its southern borders"

“In light of the Taliban's activation in Afghanistan and the unstable political situation in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan would do well to secure its southern borders,” said political scientist Denis Berdakov to IA.
– Overall, the region is heating up – everyone understands this. We need to strengthen our southern borders, especially in the Batken region. There are still too many places where drug caravans and armed groups can pass through and already do. There is no money in Kyrgyzstan's budget for systematic strengthening of the army, – the expert notes. – It is also necessary to closely monitor the situation in Tajikistan, as the process of intra-elite struggle there could amplify the effects of any aggression from Afghanistan.
Denis Berdakov, unlike another expert, believes that there is no danger of parliamentary elections being disrupted across Kyrgyzstan, and in the event of an attack by militants from the “Taliban,” ISIS, etc., allies in the CSTO will undoubtedly provide all necessary assistance to protect Kyrgyzstan from attack.
It is worth recalling that on September 28, the Taliban conducted a large-scale operation to capture the hundred-thousand-strong Afghan city of Kunduz, the district of Khanabad in the same-named province, as well as the district of Ishkashim in the province of Takhar. The city of Kunduz closes off the valley of the same river, which serves as a natural corridor through which militants can easily reach the border with Tajikistan. Recently, the situation in Tajikistan has been very complicated – the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan has gone underground, and part of the political elite of the republic is in a suspended state.