Hundreds of Afghan servicemen flown back from Tajikistan - Tajik security source

FILE PHOTO: Afghan security forces stand guard outside a hospital which came under attack in Kabul, Afghanistan May 12, 2020. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail/File Photo

DUSHANBE (Reuters) - Almost 300 Afghan servicemen who crossed the border into Tajikistan while retreating from Taliban militants were flown home in the early hours of Wednesday, a Tajik security source told Reuters.

Hundreds of Afghan security personnel retreated across the Tajik-Afghan border this month in response to Taliban advances in northern Afghanistan, underlining a rapidly deteriorating situation as foreign troops near a complete withdrawal after 20 years of war and with peace negotiations stalled.