Day: October 19, 2022

The Kyrgyz side is taking deliberate actions aimed at escalating the situation in the border areas.

“Despite the agreements noted in Protocol No. 42 dated September 25, 2022, the Kyrgyz side is taking deliberate actions aimed at escalating the situation in the border areas,» the State Committee for National Security’ Border Troops Directorate in Sughd stated.

The provocative actions of individual citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic aimed at destabilizing the situation, such as preparing firing positions, making trenches, continuing to pull in additional military equipment, and regularly violating the airspace of the Republic of Tajikistan, are clear confirmations of the malicious plans of the Kyrgyz side. From September 26 to October 15, unmanned aerial vehicles of the Kyrgyz Republic violated the airspace of the Republic of Tajikistan over the territory of the city of Isfara and Gрafurov 13 times.

Despite oral and written agreements with the Kyrgyz side, in violation of the provisions of Protocol No. 42 of September 25, 2022, facts of the transfer of military equipment, heavy weapons, and additional military formations to the border areas have been recorded. In particular:

-On October 1 at 17:15 military armored vehicles were transferred from the village of Kok-Tash in the direction of the observation post Ortabuz and Leilek district .

• On the night of October 4-5, on the left side of the Sarband (Golovnoy) water distribution, the Kyrgyz side built shelters up to 6 meters deep and up to 20 meters wide to accommodate military armored vehicles and mortar crews.

-On October 7, newly dug trenches by the Kyrgyz military were recorded in the Siyohkuh and Dusanga areas of the Chorkuh of Isfara.

-On October 7, under the leadership of officials of the Ak-Sai aiyl aimak of the Batken region, 15 servicemen of the special units of the Kyrgyz Republic arrived in a KamAZ truck and set up a border post. The personnel of the border post are stationed in the house of a resident of Vorukh Babayev B. seized by Kyrgyz citizens in 2018.

-On October 11, in the area of ​​the security zone of the 9th frontier post Sanjidzor and the reservoir for the Khojabakirgan–2 of the military unit 0214 of the Directorate of the Border Troops in Sughd, several wagons adapted to accommodate military personnel were installed .

• On October 13, a prefabricated house was installed near the Ak-Sai-Ravot-Lailak alternative road, which is used as a police post of the Kyrgyz Republic.

— On October 13, the military personnel of the Kyrgyz Republic, contrary to the requirements of paragraph “d” of Protocol No. 42, established a permanent post on the Isfara-Vorukh highway in the village of Ak-Sai.

— In the village of Maksat, the military personnel of the Kyrgyz Republic erected 5 fortified reinforced concrete combat positions.

The more frequent facts of military exercises are evidence of the unfriendly intentions of the Kyrgyz side. There is a continuation of information attacks in the media and social networks directed against the Republic of Tajikistan. Recently, the Kyrgyz mass media has been actively disseminating materials about newly acquired UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle) and testing drones of their own production.

Residents of the Ak-Sai village with a population of 3,500 people have been systematically attacking citizens of the Republic of Tajikistan and their vehicles for a long time, blocking the only road to Vorukh, restricting the movement of 45,000 citizens of the Republic of Tajikistan, infringing on their rights, isolating them from the outside world. In particular:

• On September 14, a resident of the village of Khojai Alo Makhkamov S.K. was beaten by citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic for no reason.
• September 26 this year from the side of the house of a resident of the Kok-Tash area of the Ak-Sai ayil aimag of the Kyrgyz Republic, two RGD-5 hand grenades were thrown into the courtyards of houses No. 289 and No. 295 belonging to citizens of the Republic of Tajikistan Uzbekova M. and Samadov A. respectively. As a result, a citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan Olimov Kudratullo was injured. This incident was documented by specialists from the FSD Mine Action Program.

• On the same day, a group of citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic set fire to the private house of a citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan Valiev N.N., located next to the Maksat-Zhani-Zher highway in the village of Kalacha of the Ovchi-Kalacha Bobojon Ghafurov district.
• On September 26, 27, and 28, residents of the village of Bakai, Ak-Sai aiyl aimag, Batken region, unprovoked, stoned the residential houses of citizens of the Republic of Tajikistan in the village of Tojikon of Vorukh, Isfara.
• On September 30, from the house of a resident of the Kok-Tash of the Ak-Sai ayyl aimag named Aslam, the Kyrgyz side threw stones at the house of a resident of the village of Somonioni Bolo of Chorkuh Razakov A. and the territory of secondary school No. 64.
• On October 1, citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic set fire to the house of a citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan Mamarizoyeva M.A. Two days before the incident against the son of the victim, Davlatov D.I. there were threats from the servicemen of the Kyrgyz Republic about their planned action.

— On October 2, a resident of the village of Kuchai Bolo of Vorukh Narziev N.B., who was driving a private vehicle through the village of Ak-Sai, was attacked by citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic. As a result, his Skoda car, license plate number 9451WD02, was damaged.

• On October 3, the servicemen of the Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic, serving at the Maksat border post, provoked Tajik builders involved in the restoration of the damaged infrastructure on Bakhor Street in the village of Kalacha of Ovchi-Kalacha, Gрafurov district.
• On October 8, a Mercedes-Sprinter car, license number 3170TT02, belonging to a resident of the village of Guliston of Vorukh Nasridinov M.T., was attacked.
• On October 10, a KamAZ car with a license number 4934KN02 was attacked while it was moving along the Isfara-Vorukh route.

— On October 10, the Kyrgyz side illegally blocked the road to group No. 16 of the Chorkukh cooperative, passing along the edge of the Mazorbashi area of the Samarkandak aiyl aimag.

• On October 13, while driving through the territory of Ak-Sai ayil aimag, a Mercedes-Sprinter of a citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan with license number 0735TT02 was attacked.
• On October 15, the car of a citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan Turanbaev M.Z., license number 9982НР02, was illegally stopped by military personnel of the Kyrgyz Republic for inspection while it was driving in the direction of Vorukh.

— On October 18, a citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan Abdullozoda F., was subjected to an illegal search and insults of Kyrgyz servicemen.

• On October 18, a group of residents of the village of Ak-Sai, in a state of alcoholic intoxication, threw stones at the cars of the residents of the Vorukh Boltaev Sh.Kh. (license number 0100SN02), Tursunov A.I. (license number 8950SE02) and Mansurov D.A. (license number 1643РР02). As a result of the attack, a 9-year-old child was injured.

The above facts are direct evidence of the targeted actions of the Kyrgyz side to escalate the situation and provoke the emergence of new armed conflicts in the border areas, inciting ethnic hatred.

The Republic of Tajikistan confirms its firm commitment to strict compliance with the agreements reached on the issues of stabilizing the situation in the border areas and resolving existing problems exclusively by political and diplomatic methods.

This is happening despite the public statements of certain officials of Kyrgyzstan, who deny the possibility of achieving peace between our countries, causing discord among the military and civilian population, who are in deep error. The civil society of the Kyrgyz Republic needs to adequate assess their statements and behavior.

We call on the military leadership of Kyrgyzstan to prevent and stop provocative actions that lead to armed conflicts, take the necessary measures to implement the signed protocols, and ensure peaceful life in the border areas.

 

Source: National information agency of Tajikistan

On the first day of the High-Level International Conference on “International and Regional Border Security and Management Cooperation to Counter Terrorism and Prevent the Movement of Terrorists”, which kicked off in Dushanbe on October 18, its participants expressed their concern for the security in the region and Tajikistan in particular.

 

Speaking at the conference, Ruslan Mirzoyev, Director of the executive Committee of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), said on October 18 that the number of members of the Islamist groups gathered along Afghanistan’s common border with Tajikistan exceeds 13,500 people.

 

“This is not counting the militants of the Islamic State terror group, the exact number of which is impossible to know,” Mrizoyev said.

 

According to him, international terrorist organizations “try to keep their activity.” “Experts note the attempts of these organizations to regroup their forces and increase their combat potential by recruiting new members. These organizations are also looking for opportunities to commit high-profile terrorist attacks.” said RATS head. “Therefore, it is important to prevent the recruitment of new members and establish the Psychological Center for Countering Extremism.”

 

He further noted that in 2021, 1,500 wanted persons were detained and more than 40 terrorist attacks were prevented in the SCO member nations. Terrorism is increasingly acquiring the features of politicized criminal activity,” Mirzoyev concluded.

 

He expressed the opinion that it is possible to defeat radicals only through prevention.

 

“The forced fight against terrorism is like mowing the lawn — the more often you cut the thicker it grows,” RATS head stressed.

 

Tajik chief prosecutor Yusuf Rahmon, delivering the statement at the conference, declared “the danger of breaking through the Afghan-Tajik border.”

 

He noted that the world’s most dangerous terrorist organizations continue scaling up their activities along the Afghan-Tajik border.

 

“Central Asian nations’ borders need global protection against terrorism,” said Tajik chief prosecutor. “Central Asia’s nations, especially Tajikistan having the longest common border with Afghanistan, remain the most vulnerable to terrorists.”

 

The Agreement on the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure as a permanent SCO body was signed during a meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States on June 7, 2002, in St. Petersburg. Since its establishment, the RATS has made a significant contribution to the development of the Organization and became its pillar and a coordinating center for combating terrorism, separatism and extremism at the regional and global levels.

 

The international influence of the RATS grows as years go by, and the organization becomes a worthy example of multilateral cooperation aimed at achieving significant success in the field of security.

 

During the evolvement of the RATS, the emphasis was on the development of the organizational and legal framework determining the principles and areas of cooperation, as well as ensuring the proper functioning of the working bodies of the RATS, namely the Council and the Executive Committee.

 

Source: Asia-Plus

The Office of the Border Guard Directorate of Tajikistan in the Sughd province released a statement on October 19 accusing Kyrgyzstan of targeted actions to escalate the situation and provoke the emergence of new armed conflicts.

 

Tajik border service’s office in Sughd, in particular, says that despite agreements set out in a protocol of September 25, the Kyrgyz side takes deliberate actions aimed at escalating the situation in the border areas.

 

The statement notes that provocative actions of individual citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic aimed at destabilizing the situation, preparation of firing positions, digging tranches, continued drawing up military hardware and regular violation of the airspace of the Republic of Tajikistan are a clear confirmation of malicious plans of the Kyrgyz side.

 

It is noted that for the period from September 26 to October 15, unmanned flying vehicles (UFVs) of Kyrgyzstan violated the airspace of Tajikistan 13 times in the territories of the city of Isfara and the Bobojon-Ghafourov district in the Sughd province.

 

“Despite oral and written agreements reached with the Kyrgyz side and in violation of the provisions of protocol No 2 of September 25, facts of transfer of heavy military hardware and additional military formations to the border area have been recorded,” says the statement.

 

Office of the Border Guard Directorate of Tajikistan in the Sughd province

 

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Frequent facts of military exercises reportedly indicate unfriendly intentions of the Kyrgyz side.

 

“There is a continuation of information attacks in the media and social networks targeting Tajikistan. Recently, Kyrgyz media have actively disseminated materials about the newly acquired UFVs and testing of drones of own production,” says the statement released by Tajik border service’s office in the Sughd province.

 

Recall, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan signed a protocol on the settlement of the situation along the mutual border on September 25. The document was inked by the head of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) of Kyrgyzstan Kamchybek Tashiyev and his Tajik counterpart Saimumin Yatimov.

 

The border clashes that erupted on September 14 and continued for two days, where Kyrgyz and Tajik forces engaged in more than 12 places all along the border, after which the two sides agreed to a ceasefire on September 16, which has been largely held up despite several alleged incidents of shelling with a severe escalation on September 16 and 17.

 

Kyrgyz officials say 59 of its citizens died in the September 14-17 clashes, and 183 more were injured.

 

Tajikistan has put its death toll at 41, but correspondents of Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported a higher number after talking to relatives and friends of victims of the violence.

 

They concluded that 70 people, including dozens of civilians, lost their lives and have compiled a list of those killed.

 

It is to be noted that many border areas in Central Asia have been disputed since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991. The situation is particularly complicated near the numerous exclaves in the volatile Ferghana Valley, where the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan meet.

 

Source: Asia-Plus

Compared to January-September last year, the number of foreign nationals visiting Tajikistan over the first nine months of this year has reportedly increased 2.5 times.

 

Source: Asia-Plus