CSTO to Supply Military Equipment to Tajikistan Amid Border Tensions with Afghanistan

The Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization announced Friday it will provide weapons and military equipment to Tajikistan’s border forces amid rising insecurity along the Afghanistan border.

The CSTO decided to strengthen Tajikistan’s border capabilities to prevent infiltration of armed groups and smugglers from Afghanistan territory following recent armed clashes in border areas.

The 1,357-kilometer Tajikistan-Afghanistan border has become increasingly volatile since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, with Dushanbe refusing to recognize the Taliban government. Tajikistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of harboring militants and serving as a transit route for drugs, while also expressing concerns about potential spillover of extremism from Afghan territory into Central Asia.

Interfax news agency quoted CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov saying the process of identifying needed weapons and military equipment has begun, with member states coordinating to provide supplies.

The CSTO comprises Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, functioning as a regional security alliance that coordinates on defense matters and responds to threats against member states. The organization’s involvement in Tajikistan’s border security underscores growing regional concerns about Afghanistan’s stability and the potential for cross-border violence, drug trafficking, and militant activity affecting Central Asian republics.

Masadykov stated the list of weapons, military equipment, and technical border protection tools is being finalized, with suppliers to be identified and contracts under review.

The decision follows a January 29 clash in Khatlon province where Tajik security forces engaged suspected drug smugglers, killing three people and seizing weapons and narcotics.

Armed clashes along the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border have increased in recent months, with attacks attributed to militants killing five Chinese workers and temporarily suspending infrastructure projects.

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