RUSSIAN ESCALATION IN TAJIKISTAN CONDONED BY AFGHAN AUTHORITIES?

The Russian border troop command in Tajikistan announced yesterday that its soldiers had killed 4 Tajik resistance fighters in Afghan territory. The fighters were allegedly planning to enter Tajikistan. According to the Russian account, the border troop unit fired across the Pyanj river (which forms the border in that sector) into Afghanistan to hit the fighters before they could cross. Until now, Russian communiques have not explicitly mentioned cross-border actions against Tajik fighters in Afghanistan. No Afghan protest was reported. (17)

The clash follows a spate of reports in late December suggesting that local authorities in that region of Afghanistan, who are loyal to Kabul, have begun cooperating with the Russian military against Tajik resistance fighters. On December 30, for example, the military command in Afghanistan’s Shugnian district, directly opposite the Badakhshan region of Tajikistan, was cited as threatening "severe measures" against Tajik fighters and discussing joint action with Russian border troops. Also in December, Afghan authorities handed over two small resistance groups to the Russian military.

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