Uzbekistan reopens Afghan border, closed since 2021

closed to travellers since the Taliban took power in 2021, as it seeks to foster trade links with its neighbour. The five former Soviet republics of Central Asia -- Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan -- had feared the Taliban takeover would lead to the spread of radical Islamism in the region. But four years after the Taliban seized power, economic cooperation is overriding their initial security concerns. "The Termez-Hairatan bridge crossing point, linking Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, is operational again. Travellers can now travel directly and safely between the two countries," the Uzbek Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Tuesday. It added that the visa regime between the two countries remained in place. The government body said shutting the border had forced people to take a detour via Tajikistan in order to reach the major Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif, only 75 kilometres (46 miles) from the Uzbek border. Its reopening "will greatly facilitate ...