Key points
- Border clashes with traffickers increasing sharply
- Three suspects killed in January firefight
- Attacks on Chinese workers raised tensions
DUSHANBE: The Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) has announced plans to deliver advanced weaponry to Tajikistan in response to mounting security concerns along the volatile Tajik-Afghan border, where armed clashes have become increasingly frequent.
According to Eurasianet, an independent non-profit news organisation providing on-the-ground reporting and analysis across Central Asia and the wider region, the decision follows repeated incidents involving suspected drug traffickers and militant groups operating near the frontier.
The latest deadly confrontation occurred on 29 January in Tajikistan’s Khatlon Province, when border forces engaged in a firefight with suspected traffickers. Tajik authorities said three suspects were killed, while others fled back into Afghanistan. Officials reported the seizure of weapons, ammunition and 73 packages of narcotics, including hashish and opium.
Security tensions
Security tensions in the border zone have intensified in recent months, with gunfire exchanges becoming more common. High-profile attacks in November, reportedly involving Islamic militants, targeted Chinese workers in the region, leaving five dead. Those incidents prompted China to suspend some infrastructure and mining activities in border areas until security improves.
CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov said the organisation is coordinating lists of weapons, military equipment and technical border protection tools to strengthen Tajik border guards against incursions by militants and traffickers.
The CSTO, which includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, did not specify when the deliveries would take place, but officials said contracts and suppliers are currently being finalised.
