Media: Uzbekistan warns US of forced deportation of Afghan pilots

Uzbekistan has warned the US that the country will have to deport highly trained Afghan pilots and their families due to pressure from the Taliban.

As the Wall Street Journal reports, a group of pilots fled from Afghanistan to Uzbekistan two weeks ago aboard helicopters and planes of the Afghan Air Force.

According to the newspaper, Tashkent calls on Washington to immediately take measures to transfer pilots to a third country so as not to spoil relations with the Taliban.

The US Air Force Pilot Training and Creation Program has been one of the most celebrated programs to support the Afghan Armed Forces.

Previously, it was reported that Uzbekistan temporarily placed in a tent camp near the border about 150 Afghan refugees, including 17 women and children.

In addition, approximately 650 Afghan army personnel who arrived in Uzbekistan by plane were also temporarily housed in a COVID center near the local military training camp.

In mid-August, the Defense Ministry of Uzbekistan confirmed the fact of the crash of an Afghan Air Force plane in the Surkhandarya region.