DUSAHNBE, August 11, Asia-Plus — A special border operation launched by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan is under way. Dubbed “Marzbon 2006” it involves border guards, involves the defense, interior, emergencies ministries of all five participating countries, as well as their migration services and drug enforcement agencies.
The source in the Tajik border service has told Asia-Plus their troops warded off an attempt by Afghan drug traffickers to smuggle a large amount of heroin into Tajikistan Thursday [August 10] night. According to the source, the border guards spotted and tried to detain a three armed Afghan drug traffickers, who were illegally crossing the border river in the Panj district of Khatlon. The border guards opened fire at the trespassers, but the last managed to return on the contiguous territory. 14 packages containing heroin, 2 pistols “Makarov”, two sub-machine-guns “Kalashnikov”, two portable radio transmitters, one rifle and a large number of bullets were found on the spot.
On the same day, an engagement was reported between Tajik border guards and a group of armed Afghan smugglers on the Shuroobod stretch of the Tajik-Afghan border, according to the source. “The smugglers managed to flee,” said the Asia-Plus interlocutor, “They hid themselves in the forest. When combing out the forest, the border guards found a dead body of one of the trespassers, portable radio transmitter, one sub-machine-gun “Kalashnikov” and three sacks with cannabis.”
Besides, more than 61,000 bushes of wild hemp have been destroyed in the ongoing “Marzbon 2006” operation in the northern districts of Isfara and Konibodom, according to information from the Tajik border service.
