Guard Afghan Border After Deadly Attack On Chinese Workers
DUSHANBE -– Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry has denied claims that it is in talks with Russia to help guard its border with Afghanistan following an attack that killed five Chinese nationals in the area.
The claim of a stepped-up Russian military footprint stems from a December 2 report by Reuters citing unnamed Tajik security sources who said talks were under way through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Moscow-led regional security bloc, to deploy Russian troops for joint patrols along the 1,344-kilometer border between the two countries.
Tajik Foreign Ministry spokesman Shohin Samadi told RFE/RL in a December 3 statement the claims were «fabricated.»
«By publishing this news, Reuters is providing its readers with unverified information,» Samadi said.
In a statement released afterward by the Tajik Foreign Ministry, it said the «situation on the state border remains stable and is under the full control of the competent authorities of the Republic of Tajikistan.»
Following the Tajik government’s denial, a Reuters spokesperson told RFE/RL on December 3 that the story «has been withdrawn following a post-publication review showing insufficient evidence.»
Clashes along the volatile Tajik-Afghan border are not uncommon, but the remote area was thrust into the headlines on November 27 when an attack launched from Afghanistan killed five Chinese workers and wounded five others who were working for a joint Chinese-Tajik gold mining company.
The attack, which Tajik authorities said involved firearms and a drone equipped with an explosive device to strike a facility housing mine workers, has left Tajik President Emomali Rahmon under pressure with the safety of Chinese nationals under threat in the country of around 11 million people.
The claim of a stepped-up Russian military footprint stems from a December 2 report by Reuters citing unnamed Tajik security sources who said talks were under way through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Moscow-led regional security bloc, to deploy Russian troops for joint patrols along the 1,344-kilometer border between the two countries.
Tajik Foreign Ministry spokesman Shohin Samadi told RFE/RL in a December 3 statement the claims were «fabricated.»
«By publishing this news, Reuters is providing its readers with unverified information,» Samadi said.
In a statement released afterward by the Tajik Foreign Ministry, it said the «situation on the state border remains stable and is under the full control of the competent authorities of the Republic of Tajikistan.»
Following the Tajik government’s denial, a Reuters spokesperson told RFE/RL on December 3 that the story «has been withdrawn following a post-publication review showing insufficient evidence.»
Clashes along the volatile Tajik-Afghan border are not uncommon, but the remote area was thrust into the headlines on November 27 when an attack launched from Afghanistan killed five Chinese workers and wounded five others who were working for a joint Chinese-Tajik gold mining company.
The attack, which Tajik authorities said involved firearms and a drone equipped with an explosive device to strike a facility housing mine workers, has left Tajik President Emomali Rahmon under pressure with the safety of Chinese nationals under threat in the country of around 11 million people.
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