AKIPRESS.COM - Former Minister of Water and Energy of Afghanistan Mohammad Ismail Khan has claimed "Turkmenistan has contacts with the Taliban and it provides military equipment to the insurgents," Salamwatandar reported.

He said this while addressing a gathering in Herat city on Wednesday. Khan said the government had recently reduced a number of checkpoints in the border areas allowing the Taliban insurgents to take advantage.

“Currently, Turkmenistan-Afghanistan border is guarded with only two or three outposts, it is not sufficient for controlling illegal movements. This issue has been raised with the foreign ministry of Turkmenistan," said Khan.

Meanwhile, Jilani Farhad, provincial governor’s spokesman, rejected the accusations about security forces guarding the Taliban militants. Abdul Qadir Kohan, the Consulate General of Turkmenistan in Herat, has also rejected the claims made by Ismail Khan about his country.