India has reportedly ended its presence at a strategic military base in Central Asia’s Tajikistan after nearly two decades according to media reports.
The Ayni air base offered India a strategic foothold outside the subcontinent and the ability to project its influence into Central Asia. In 2001, India used Ayni to evacuate its nationals after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.
Tajikistan, formerly part of the Soviet Union, borders Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Tajikistan had informed India in 2021 that the lease on the air base would not be extended, and withdrawal began in 2022, claimed in media reports. India has operated the air base for nearly 25 years under a 2002 agreement with Tajikistan, which allowed New Delhi to rebuild and modernize the facility.
