ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan has dismissed a Reuters report claiming that Dushanbe was in talks with the Collective Security Treaty Organization on allowing Russian troops to jointly patrol its border with Afghanistan.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the report was “untrue,” adding that the spread of such “false information” could mislead the international audience.
The ministry said Tajikistan continues to take its own measures to strengthen security along the Tajik Afghan frontier.
Officials added that the situation along the border remains stable and under the full control of the country’s competent authorities.
The denial comes a day after Reuters reported Tajikistan was in talks with Russia and a Moscow-led regional security grouping about the possibility of Russia deploying troops to jointly patrol the volatile border with Afghanistan.
The report came days after Tajikistan confirmed the death of five Chinese nationals near the border in attacks launched from inside Afghanistan.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon held meetings with security chiefs on Monday to review the situation, while China advised its citizens working in mining and business ventures to leave the border areas.
Separately, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has also condemned two cross-border attacks from Afghanistan.
The Tajik foreign ministry said the attack “originated from the territory of Afghanistan,” noting that gunmen opened fire on the camp late on Nov. 26 within the control area of the 1st Border Guard Post Istiqlol of the Yol Border Detachment.
It added that the assault involved “an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with grenades and firearms.”
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