CSTO Security Talks Focus on Strengthening Afghanistan-Tajikistan Border Protection
The Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) held discussions with Tajikistan’s border officials during a visit to the country regarding the implementation of a joint program to enhance the protection of the Tajik-Afghan border. This border has become a regional security concern in recent years due to developments in Afghanistan.
According to a statement released by the organization on Monday, Talatbek Masadokov visited several border posts, an official crossing point, and the site of a new border road construction in the mountainous Shurabad area. The road is being built in a difficult-to-access region with the aim of facilitating access and strengthening border surveillance.
He also met with Muradali Rajabzadeh, the First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan and commander of the country’s border forces, to discuss enhanced security coordination. Earlier, the CSTO had announced plans to expand cooperation among member states to counter extremist groups along southern borders.
Tajikistan shares a 1,344-kilometer border with Afghanistan, the longest among CSTO member states, directly adjoining four northeastern Afghan provinces. Officials in Dushanbe note that since the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2021 and the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, the security situation along this border has become more fragile.
Tajik authorities report the presence of extremist and terrorist groups in parts of northeastern Afghanistan, which occasionally cause tension and clashes along the border. Last year, several Tajik border guards were killed in multiple border incidents, and five Chinese workers also lost their lives.
On Monday, Tajikistan called on the Taliban administration to make stronger efforts to secure the shared border, amid persistent concerns about the activities of armed groups within Afghan territory.
