FIGHTING IN TAJIKISTAN.

Seven killed and five wounded is the final toll of the October 11 attack by Tajik resistance on Russian soldiers ín Badakhshan region´s Khorog area. The Afghanistan-based attackers appeared unscathed. The commander of Russian border troops in Tajikistan, Col. General Pavel Tarasenko, told a Dushanbe briefing in the wake of the attack that up to 1,500 well-armed Tajik resistance fighters have concentrated on the Afghan side of the border and appear poised for action against Russian border troops. Tarasenko warned that Russian border troops would open fire on "enemy" positions in Afghan territory if attacks recommence. (15)

The resistance operates against small groups of Russian soldiers and Tajik regime policemen not only along the border but also inside Tajikistan. Two Russian soldiers were shot dead and two others gravely wounded September 28 in the capital city Dushanbe. Four policemen from Tajikabad district have been held hostage since October 9. The Dushanbe regime and Moscow accuse the resistance of intending to sabotage the inter-Tajik talks with these attacks. However the overdue fifth round of the talks has been blocked by Dushanbe´s rejection of the venues proposed by the resistance, the UN mediator, and neutral parties.

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