Two residential buildings in the village of Ittifoq in the Shahritous district (Khatlon province) were inconsiderably damaged on November 11 after mortar shells hit them, according to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) of Tajikistan.
“Fortunately, the shells did not explode and no injured was reported,” an official source at a MoD told Asia-Plus today morning, noting that relevant bodies are investigating the incident.
He denied reports released by some media outlets that the shells could be launched from the Harbmaydon training ground, where a military exercise of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Collective Rapid Reaction Force is going on, as “absolutely baseless.”
“This training ground is located nearly ten kilometers from the damaged houses, and we are currently investigating from where those shells had been launched,” the source added.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reports that three houses in the Shahritous district were damaged during a range practice at the training ground. Mortar shells reportedly missed the targets and hit the houses on November 11 a day after a ten-day military exercise of the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Force began at the Harbmaydon training ground.
