Unrest on the border with Afghanistan. Tajikistan wants Russia's military support

Tajikistan is in talks with Russia and its Collective Security Treaty Organization (Russian: ODKB) about sending Russian soldiers to jointly patrol the Tajik-Afghan border, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing its sources.

Over the past week, five Chinese nationals have been killed and five injured near this border in suspected attacks from Afghanistan.

On Monday, the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon held talks on this topic with the heads of institutions responsible for security, and China recommended its citizens working in Tajikistan in mining and other industries to urgently leave the border areas.

A source in the Tajik Security Council told Reuters that authorities were in talks with Russia on the possibility of deploying troops from a Russian military base in Tajikistan to jointly patrol the Tajik-Afghan border. This base is Russia's largest military facility outside its borders and is located near the Tajik capital of Dushanbe.

– We are currently in talks. I think the decision will be made (…) this week, this source said.

Two other sources from Tajikistan's State Committee for National Security confirmed that talks are ongoing with Russia and, if successful, Moscow will help use helicopters to patrol the 1,344-kilometer border with Afghanistan, which runs through mountainous terrain.

The defense ministries of Russia and Tajikistan refused to comment on the matter.

Soldiers from the Russian base and Russian border guards guarded Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan until the first years of the 21st century. Since 2005, Tajikistan has been patrolling it independently. (PAP)

mw/ mal/