The Afghan news agency TOLO news , citing information from the Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan, reports that as a result of fighting with Taliban militants, 150 Afghan soldiers surrounded on all sides in Badghis province were forced to either surrender to the enemy or flee to Turkmenistan.
According to the newspaper, 58 border guards surrendered and another 58 were able to flee to Turkmenistan. Together with the military, women and children also crossed the Turkmen border.
According to the representative of the local council Wali Shah Nayeb (Wali Shah Nayeb), the military fled to Turkmenistan and stayed there for two days.
Now all those who fled have returned to Afghanistan through the border town of Turgundi, Herat province. There is no information about the fate of the prisoners.
Note that the March 17 edition of The New York Times , citing the head of the regional police, reported that Turkmen border guards first missed 100 Afghan soldiers, but then issued them to the Taliban.
On the same day, the Russian TASS news agency reported this with reference to Reuters. According to the chairman of the provincial council, Abdul Aziz Beek , on Saturday about 100 members of the border police subordinate to the Interior Ministry attempted to leave their posts and flee to Turkmenistan, but they were not allowed to enter the country. Abdul Aziz Bik added that about 50 Afghan border guards surrendered to the Taliban, and the remaining 50 continued fighting with them in the most densely populated area of the province – Bala Murghab.
The Turkmen side does not comment on the incident.
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan