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Thursday, September 8, 2005
Tajikistan will now protect their border unaided by Russia, as Pyandzh unit border guards leave the area. The guards continued to protect part of the Tajik-Afghan border until September 1, having begun in a 1993 intergovernmental agreement.
Russian Border Service deputy Lt. Gen. Viktor Trufanov told Interfax newswire: "The last sector of the Afghan-Tajik border under the control of the Pyandzh unit of Russian border guards was transferred to our Tajik colleagues on September 1 in conformity with the intergovernmental agreement."
This week, expert Russian border guard officers and tacticians have met with the Tajik State Border Committee, in order to assist in the turnover, according to chief of the border command Major-General Nikolai Kasharin.
Since Russia took over border control duties in 1993, China View reports that 40,000 Tajik citizens have been trained by the guards, in anticipation of the handover.
Tajikistan is a prime route for illegal drugs from Afghanistan, which is the world's top opium producer. Drug interdiction and stopping the transport of arms are both high on the list of border guard priorities.
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This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
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Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.
The text of this article has been released into the public domain. In the event that this is not legally possible, this article may be used for any purpose, without any condition, unless such conditions are required by law. This applies worldwide. Copyright terms on images, however, may vary, so please check individual image pages prior to duplication.