DUSHANBE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th June, 2021) Tajikistan has put its armed forces stationed on the border with Afghanistan on high alert amid the deteriorating security situation in the neighboring country, the Defense Ministry told Sputnik on Friday.
"Troops of Tajikistan's Defense Ministry, stationed on the second line of defense and guarding the Tajik-Afghan border, have been put on a special regime of service since the rise of tensions in the border area," the head of the ministry's press service said.
At the same time, the official refused to answer the question of how far from the border the military units were located. According to the spokesman, if the tensions on the border escalate further or there is aggression from the Afghan side, the armed forces will have enough time to join the border guards to defend the country's borders.
"There was no additional movement of equipment or people recently and none is planned, since the unstable situation in Afghanistan has long forced us to strengthen our military units that are on the second line of defense," the official added.
On Tuesday, Taliban militants attacked a border crossing with Tajikistan, Sher Khan Bandar, in the Kunduz province of northern Afghanistan. The Afghan forces were unable to repel the attack and had to retreat and seek shelter in the neighboring country. The Tajik authorities report a complicated situation at the border, with up to 100 Afghan soldiers being killed, wounded or taken prisoner by the Taliban.
