KHUJAND, August 12, 2008, Asia-Plus — A joint operation, dubbed Dostyk-2008 (Friendship-288), was conducted by Tajik and Kyrgyz border guards at the Tajik-Kyrgyz border in the northern Sughd province on August 4-9.
According to Uktam Gadoboyev, chief of staff of the Border Operational Group “Sughd”, which is deployed in northern Tajikistan, the main objective of the operation was in warding off border violations and contrabands.
“In the course of the operation, 28 Uzbek nationals from Surkhandarya, Ferghana and Jizzakh regions have been detained for failing to satisfy registration requirements,” said Gadoboyev. “Besides, seven residents of the Sughd province have been detained at the Khujand airport for not having registration stamps in their passports, and one Kyrgyz nation has been detained for not fulfilling border-crossing requirements.”
The operation also led to the seizure of nearly 13 tons of contraband cargoes, including various food products, watermelons, melons and gourds, as well as dried fruits. Besides, some 1.5 tons of contraband niters, four tons of contraband cement and 15 tons of contraband coals and lumbers have been confiscated from smugglers, the border officer said.
The Tajik and Kyrgyz border guards have also detected and destroyed more than 71 bushes of wild hemp.
