One Tajik border guard has been killed and four others have been wounded in clashes with armed Afghan drug traffickers attempting to illegally cross the border river in the Tajik southern Khatlon province.
A statement released by the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) says the incident took place on December 2 at 7:10 pm in the Shamsiddin-Shohin district, some 220 kilometers southeast of Dushanbe, in the area patrolled by the “Bahorak” frontier post of the “Shouroobod” border unit.
Commander of the border unit, Colonel Khairiddin Akhtamov, and three trespassers were killed and four Tajik border guards were wounded in the shootout.
The wounded border guards are currently undergoing medical treatment in a hospital. Their health conditions are assessed as satisfactory
Tajik border guards reportedly found 4 Kalashnikov assault rifles and more than 33 kilograms of narcotics on the spot.
Colonel Akhtamov was buried in the Farkhor of the Khatlon province district on December 3.
The Tajik side has sent a note to the Afghan authorities demanding relevant Afghan structures thoroughly investigate the incident and take measures to detain the criminals.
The Tajik authorities also hope that the Afghan side will take all necessary measures to strengthen control of the border on its territory in order to prevent such incidents in the future.
Tajikistan has a 1,344-kilometer common border with Afghanistan, which is the world's largest producer of opium and heroin.
