The Return of Insurgency in Central Asia

As instability spreads from Afghanistan’s north, Tajikistan faces renewed militant pressure, exposing the limits of regional security guarantees and Taliban governance.

A series of cross-border incidents along the Afghanistan–Tajikistan frontier has raised fears of a renewed insurgent threat in Central Asia. As militant networks regroup in northern Afghanistan, regional governments are questioning long-held assumptions about Taliban governance, Russian security guarantees and the durability of the post-Soviet order.