Drugs and terrorists blight Tajik-Afghan border

By Benedikt von Imhoff and Wolfgang Jung Aug 14, 2011, 8:52 GMT

Dushanbe - The border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan is considered highly dangerous, with drug dealers and Islamic extremists moving virtually unhindered between the two countries.

The 1,344-kilometre-long border is marked by raging rivers and inaccessible mountain ranges, making it difficult to patrol.

Security is further impaired by corrupt customs officials, who regularly turn a blind eye to the drugs, weapons and terrorists that are ferried into Tajikistan en route to Central Asia and Europe.

The United States embassy in the Tajik capital Dushanbe has described the border region as a 'frontline,' while President Emomali Rahmon's government has called on the European Union for assistance in patrolling the area.

The task is an enormous one for the security forces of the former Soviet republic, as evidenced by the increasing number of violent incidents recently between border guards and smugglers.

Only last month, eight Afghan drug smugglers were killed trying to sneak into the country.

The border was protected by 40,000 troops during the Soviet era, but that number has dwindled significantly since the break-up of the Soviet Union.

'Today, only 4,000 people are stationed there, having access to just two helicopters,' a high-ranking official with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Dushanbe said on condition of anonymity.

Islamic fundamentalism is also a growing threat in this 98-per-cent Muslim country, with Western diplomats rating the situation as 'extremely unstable.'

Attacks and skirmishes have increased since 25 prisoners, including several Islamic militants, escaped from a prison in Dushanbe a year ago. They killed at least five prison guards as they fled.

The militants often receive support from across the border in Afghanistan, with troops in the Central Asian state struggling to maintain order in the numerous isolated border valleys.

Tajikistan endured a five-year civil war between the Moscow-backed government and Islamist-led opposition in the 1990s, in which tens of thousands of people lost their lives. The war ended in 1997, but many fear a return to those brutal times.

In his battle against Islamic fundamentalism, President Rahmon has signed into law controversial countermeasures. They include banning most children under the age of 18 from attending regular Friday prayers at mosques and restricting the names parents can choose for their children. Experts warn that the measures are not only counterproductive, but difficult to police.

The economic situation in Tajikistan also seems to be playing into the fundamentalists' hands. Tajikistan has no natural resources and many young people have been forced to emigrate due to the high unemployment rate.

Russia, in particular, is concerned about the unstable situation in what it considers its own backyard. The majority of drugs trafficked through Tajikistan end up in Russia.

Moscow has threatened to suspend its visa exemption agreement with Tajikistan, but so far, the government in Dushanbe has refused the offer of Russian troops to help patrol the border with Afghanistan.

Around one million Tajiks currently live and work in Russia, accounting for around a third of the country's gross domestic product. Travel restrictions would therefore deal a severe blow to the local economy and its seven million people.

Not surprisingly, Dushanbe wants to show not only that it has the situation under control, but that the war against the drug smugglers is being won.

Tajik drug enforcement officials point out that 2.7 tonnes of drugs have been confiscated in the first half of 2011, an increase of a third compared to the same period last year.

The OSCE has also noted progress in the battle against the drug lords.

'So far this year, border troops have busted 30 drug gangs with nearly 500 members,' the unnamed OSCE official in Dushanbe revealed.

Unfortunately, experts believe this figure is just the tip of the iceberg.

Sharaf Faisallayev, deputy commander of Tajikistan's border troops, has called on the EU to provide technical know-how and financial assistance. It is estimated that modernizing the border installations will cost 1 million dollars per kilometre.

'We need immediate assistance, not in 10 years,' Faisallayev said.