In May, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi urged the Taliban to adhere to the water agreement and cautioned of severe consequences. In response to the water rights threat in Helmand, the Taliban reportedly dispatched numerous suicide bombers to the Iranian border, Bloomberg reports.
Confronting the Iranian president's warning, a notable Taliban official sent a 20-liter water container as a gift, imploring not to issue ultimatums. Roughly a week later, a clash ensued at the border, resulting in the deaths of two Iranian border guards and one Taliban member.
A source familiar with this conflict disclosed that the Taliban had mobilized thousands of troops and hundreds of suicide attackers to the region.
Following two decades of combating the U.S., Taliban leaders now find themselves at odds with neighboring countries due to the harsh impact of global warming on the nation. The report suggests that a disagreement with Iran over depleting water resources will further destabilize an already turbulent region.
Moreover, apart from suicide attackers, the Taliban also shifted hundreds of military assets and weapons from the U.S. to the Iran border.
"The water scarcity in the Helmand River basin stems from climate change as the nation grapples with elevated temperatures, erratic rainfall followed by severe droughts. Since 1950, the country's air temperature has risen by 1.8°C," - remarked Graham Smith, senior adviser on Afghanistan at the non-profit International Crisis Group, echoing the observations of the situation.
Back in 1973, Iran inked an accord with Afghanistan, stipulating the provision of a specific water volume annually from the Helmand waterway under "normal" climatic conditions.
Water from Afghanistan's longest river holds immense significance for agriculture and sustains millions of people on both sides of the border.
Iran asserts that the Taliban have interrupted water supplies since their resurgence to power and are not upholding the agreement. Nasir Kanani, a representative from Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, indicated that there are "preliminary agreements" with the Taliban's government regarding Iran's entitlement to Helmand's water.
Afghanistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, countered by stating that the issue solely pertains to drought, and Afghanistan is honoring the agreement.
Additionally, the Taliban’s ongoing construction of the Qoshtepa canal in the Balkh part of the Amu Darya, potentially causing water scarcity in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, raises further concerns. Climate change, combined with the new canal construction, could lead to Uzbekistan losing up to 25% of its water supply, warns a recent forecast.
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