Empire of the Ring

Hearing that Afghan Kazakhs were leaving Afghanistan, Kurdish Afghans in neighboring villages followed the migration.

They were also strangers in Afghanistan.

The endless civil war was getting tiring for them as well. Knowing that Syrian Kurds were moving to Kazakhstan, there was nothing more to hesitate about leaving their own villages.

Moreover, the fact that there was a Kurdish princess in the Kazakh royal family was another reason that made them decide to move.

Although the Kurds living in the northern Afghanistan were fewer than 10,000, they were fierce that they did not let the government forces or rebel forces get close to their villages as they were known to take vengeance to any group that harmed their people.

“So, there are Kurds who are living in Afghanistan, too?”

“Most of them have moved from Iran to Afghanistan.”

It seemed that the Kurds who did not have their own country were pushed out of Iran and settled in Afghanistan.

It was fortunate that the ethnic Kurds and Kazakhs in Afghanistan had been helping each other to survive. Otherwise, it would have been noisy with the issue of accepting Afghan Kurds. Although they were Kurds, they were quite different from the Syrian Kurds.

The language was different, but even the living culture was very different.

“Can you find out if there’s another Kurdish force in Afghanistan?”

“Even if there is, it’s not easy to get them to the North. The country is too dangerous to even move freely. We have no choice but tell them to make it to the Tajik border area on their own after the civil war has calmed down a little.”

“Are the intelligence agents out in Afghanistan safe?”

“I’m always concerned about them since they’re always in danger. But they can take care of themselves.”

“When the evacuation is over, call them in, too. We don’t need to collect information from Afghanistan anyway.”

“Won’t you need our agents if our forces are to work as the peacekeeping force there?”

“There won’t be any hostile force against the peacekeepers in Afghanistan.”

“What did Chief Michael say?”

“He wanted us to station a large army there but I drew a line. The U.S. won’t be able to intervene even if there is a regional war in the Pamir Plateau. If so, there is no reason for us to remain in Afghanistan because the U.S. says it is difficult to intervene.”

Michael was confident that there would not be a major conflict with China in the region, but Youngho did not think so.

“He at least confirmed that China won’t stay still.”

“He said there would be a provocation in some way. It means that China will no longer sit idly by and watch us hold them back every time.”

“I’ll have to hurry up and get our forces ready. We can’t get everything from a military satellite, so we need to send more agents to Xinjiang Uyghur.”

“What’s the point of making a position right now if they launched an offensive now? It would be faster to make a deal with Russia. Russia is also feeling burdened by the direct confrontation with China, so I’ll ask the Russian government to support only the air defense network. If we say we can handle Tajikistan, it won’t refuse.”

“What if Russia withdraws completely? They’re pulling out their forces even now.”

“Do you think Russia will give up Central Asia that easily?”

That would mean abandoning its duty as a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and no matter how much a toothless tiger Russia was, it would never give up its influence on the member states of the region.

***

Migration of Afghan Kazakhs and Kurds was processing in a prompt way.

It was because it would not be strange if a battle broke out at any time on the Pamir Plateau.

When the migrants crossed the Tajik border and reached Kyrgyzstan, they stayed in pre-arranged temporary camps for a while until they entered Kazakhstan.

Migration of 40,000 people was not a difficult task because Kazakhstan had experiences that had been accumulating. If there was a shortage of temporary camps, they were transported to Uyghur’s temporary camp near Almaty.

The domestic atmosphere was very warm as people were even fund-raising campaigns across the country to help compatriots from Afghanistan

People were also joining the rumor that the royal family was paying for the relocation.

Meanwhile, operations were also underway to introduce nomadic people living in the Pamir Plateau to Kazakhstan. It was because the Kazakh government decided not to leave civilians in danger zones.

In the empty spots where the nomadic people had left, the Kyrgyz mountain combatants took place. They were relatively well adapted to the Pamir Plateau as they had been training and traveling the highlands of the Tian Shan Mountains with ease in Kyrgyzstan.

The residential areas of the Pamir Plateau that were left behind were built to overcome harsh climate conditions and could not be better for soldiers to stay. As their houses were built of thick earth walls and stones, they were almost sturdy as bunkers rather than houses.

Nomadic tribes in the Pamir Plateau had been living without the concept of nationality or border since they were living in the mountains.

Although Tajik militia had been guarding their territory, China claimed it was its land because there were also nomadic Uyghurs in the area.

There, Tajikistan workers and militias had currently built a base.

Youngho and other leaders of the Kazakh Army were touring the scene under the guidance of the leader of the Tajik militia.

October on the Pamir Plateau was already in the middle of winter, so everyone was wearing thick winter clothes.

“You’ve had a hard time in a place like this. How are you holding up in the middle of winter when it’s already this cold?”

“It’s not too cold for us since we’ve lived our whole life in this condition. This year, I will not be aware of the cold weather thanks to the winter gear gifted to the whole militia by the Kazakh royal family. Thank you again for your consideration.”

“Of course I should help. We are allies.”

“I’m grateful for the winter gears but I’m more than happy because of the heavy weapons. We’ve been ridiculed China’s border guards for our meager armament…”

“In the future, we will provide light-armored vehicles and tanks in the border.”

“You mean you’re going to supply us with the new armored vehicles that Kyrgyz mountaineers drive?”

“I think it’ll be necessary for you to patrol in the winter, so I’m going to deploy about 20 units first. And we’ll replace your personal equipment with new ones right away.”

“If you do that, I won’t have a wish.”

The only weapons of the Pamir Plateau militia were AK rifles and portable rocket launchers.

There was a multiple rocket launcher, but it was not classified as a heavy firearm. Due to its old age, its operation was highly doubtful, so it was used only for exhibition purposes.

For such a humble armed militia, the tactical light-armored vehicle produced in Kazakhstan was like dream equipment, especially when their only means of transportation were horses and yaks.

In addition to that, the helmets with headset and night-vision goggles also served as a protection against the cold as well as bullets, the militiamen were so excited.

The combat ration that the Kazakh forces brought was also an extraordinary thing. It was because they had never heard of any food that could be cooked in an instant with its own heat. It was different from oat bread, which they got hungry not long after they ate it.

Watching the commander of the militia, Youngho and his party were smiling to each other.

It is like winning the hearts of the Tajik people if they could capture the minds of the militias.

At this point, Youngho drove in a wedge.

“Do militiamen get paid regularly?”

“Even if late, we normally get paid fine.”

“I’m telling you this because I know what’s going on in your country, so don’t get me wrong. I’d like to give a special allowance to the militiamen from the Kazakh government, at least during the joint operations in the border area. What do you think of it, commander?”

“You’re offering us an allowance?”

“I know the militiamen’s families are having a hard time, and I just want to give a little help. My men are in charge of the militia, so I don’t want them to worry.”

Although they were working in the worst conditions, they had high self-esteem as they were guarding the border with a sense of mission and duty. Youngho did not want to hurt their pride, so he expressed his intention to indirectly help their soldiers under the pretext of helping Kyrgyz soldiers.

At Youngho’s words, the militia leader’s expression brightened immediately. He seemed willing to accept it if he gave a helping hand.

“It’s a shame to even say, but the salary of soldiers in Tajikistan is only enough for them to avoid starvation. We can’t even dream of feeding our families on the payroll of a militia. No one would stay here without the will to protect the country. I’m thrilled to hear that you’re concerned about our living conditions even though you’re providing high-tech weapons to us. Without shame, I will be grateful if you show compassion to the needy militia.”

“I’m glad you didn’t refuse. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not doing this because I want something from you. I do this to ensure the safety of our soldiers.”

“How can I not know your deep consideration for us? If you would do that, the morale of the militia will soar. I’m just grateful for your consideration.”