Tajikistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NFA) has denied reports that the country requested Russian military assistance to help secure its border with Afghanistan. The reports came after two deadly cross-border attacks that left five Chinese nationals dead and one injured.
The claims were first published by Reuters on December 2, citing three unnamed sources within Tajikistan’s security services. According to the report, Tajikistan was allegedly in talks with Russia and the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) about deploying troops to jointly patrol the Afghan border.
The story was widely picked up by Russian, Afghan, and international media.
However, Shohin Samadi, head of the Tajik MFA Information and Press Department, rejected the report in a comment to Asia-Plus:
“We do not confirm Reuters' information about Tajikistan requesting military assistance from Russia. An official response will be released shortly. Reuters is misleading its readers by publishing such reports,” Samadi said.
Reuters reported on December 2 that Tajikistan has requested Russian assistance to help contain a surge of cross-border attacks by Islamic militants based in Afghanistan, following two deadly incidents that left five Chinese workers dead near the Tajik-Afghan border.
Tajikistan is reportedly in discussions with Russia and the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) about deploying Russian troops to jointly patrol its volatile border with Afghanistan, according to three senior Tajik security officials cited by Reuters on Tuesday.
Citing three senior Tajik security officials as its sources, Reuters said the talks come after a series of cross-border attacks from Afghanistan over the past week left five Chinese nationals dead and five others injured.
Officials in Dushanbe reportedly confirmed that talks are underway with their Russian counterparts to launch joint patrols along the 1,300-kilometer border.
One of the sources, a member of Tajikistan’s Security Council, reportedly told Reuters that authorities are negotiating with Moscow over the possible deployment of troops from Russia’s military base—its largest foreign military installation, located near Dushanbe.
“We are currently in talks. I think a decision will be made this week,” the source was quoted as saying.
Two additional sources from the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) reportedly confirmed the discussions, noting that a successful agreement would enable Russia to provide aerial support, including helicopter patrols, along Tajikistan’s common border with Afghanistan.
As it had been reported earlier, there were two attacks from Afghan territory on Chinese nationals working in Tajikistan on November 26 and 30. As a result of these incidents, five Chinese nationals were killed, and five others were injured.
On December 1, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon held a working meeting with heads of the country's law enforcement and security structures, during which he "strongly condemned the illegal and provocative actions of Afghan nationals" on the Tajik-Afghan border. Rahmon instructed responsible officials to take effective measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
