Putin, Not Biden: Taliban Rushing To Moscow Shows Who They Are Really Scared Of

As U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan enables a Taliban surge, the organization's leaders have rushed to Moscow with a promise that their wins in Afghanistan will not pose a threat to Russia or its Central Asian allies.

This comes as Russia and the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military bloc warned they would use all their resources if the tensions from the Taliban's advancement spilled across the borders to Tajikistan.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Taliban delegation, which visited Moscow earlier this week, promised that "they wouldn’t violate the borders of Central Asian countries" and guaranteed security for foreign diplomatic and consular missions in Afghanistan, reported Associated Press.

Kremlin envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov met with the Taliban delegation to express concerns about the situation in northern Afghanistan.

Earlier the week, over 1,000 Afghan government troops reportedly fled to Tajikistan, forcing the country to call up 20,000 military reservists to strengthen its southern border with Afghanistan. Russia had then promised to do everything to prevent aggressive encroachments on Tajikistan soil. Moscow fears that the Taliban surge could destabilize the ex-Soviet Central Asian nations north of Afghanistan.

However, the Russian Foreign Ministry acknowledged that the Taliban controlled 85 percent of the Afghan-Tajik border.

The visit assumes significance at a time when Russia is showing a renewed interest in regional security in Afghanistan, where the Soviet Union fought a costly decade-long war until 1989.

Not just Tajikistan, even Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan fear the conflict spilling across its borders as many Afghan villages near the region have fallen to the Taliban.

Meanwhile, President Biden defended his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. He rejected the idea that a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan is "inevitable."

"Let me ask those who want us to stay: How many more? How many thousands more Americans’ daughters and sons are you willing to risk? How long would you have them stay?" Biden was quoted by The Hill.

"Already we have members of our military whose parents fought in Afghanistan 20 years ago. Would you send their children or their grandchildren, as well? Would you send your own son or daughter?" he asked.

Biden also clarified that the partnership between Afghanistan and the United States is not ending. On questions about the Taliban gaining power, Biden said it is not inevitable that Afghanistan would fall to the Taliban. He added that the Afghan army is as "well equipped as any army in the world” to fend off the Taliban.

"The likelihood there’s going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely," Biden added.