The South Gate of the CIS is a drug dealer paradise. A constant focus of tension. As soon as the Tajik-Afghan border was not called! How do they live there? Is this an important milestone to protect “the whole world”? Why can’t they block? What secrets does she keep?
Border length
The Tajik-Afghan border is quite extensive. Extends over 1344.15 kilometers. Of these, 189.85 km by land. Nineteen kilometers are lakes. The rest of the border runs along the river. Most of it is along the Pyanj River, which flows into the Amu Darya.
Transport accessibility
In the western part, the border runs in the foothills, it is relatively convenient for transport. The eastern part, starting from Shuroabad - passes through the mountains and is inaccessible. There are almost no roads.
The main highway on the Tajik-Afghan border from Tajikistan runs along the Pyanj River. There are no highways along the river from Afghanistan. There are only pedestrian paths along which goods are transported by caravans of camels, horses and donkeys.
Previously, all roads along the Panj River, except for one, were access roads and were not particularly in demand. Two states were connected by one highway in the region of Nizhny Pyanj.
Checkpoints
With the relative stabilization of the situation at the border of checkpoints, it became more. By 2005 there were 5 of them:
- Nizhny Pyanj checkpoint connecting the Kumsangir region of Tajikistan and the Afghan province of Kunduz;
- Kokul checkpoint - the gate from the Farkhor district of Tajikistan to the Tahar province;
- Checkpoint "Ruzvai" - connecting the Darvaz region and the province of Badakhshan;
- Checkpoint "Tem" - the Tajik city of Khorog and the province of Badakhshan;
- Checkpoint "Ishkashim" - Ishkashim district and Badakhshan.
In 2005 and 2012, two more additional bridges were built across the Panj and in 2013 two more checkpoints were opened:
- “Shokhon” checkpoint connected the Shurabad region and Badakhshan province ”;
- Checkpoint "Khumrogi" - the way from the Vanj district to Badakhshan.
The largest of them is the Nizhny Pyanj checkpoint located in the western part of the border. The main flow of international transport of goods passes through it.
Life in the borderlands
The situation at the border remains tense. Not peace and not war. Incidents happen all the time. Despite this, life is in full swing, people are trading. Go over the border.
Most trading takes place in Darvaz, on Saturdays, at the famous Ruzvai market.
People come there not only for the sake of trade, but also for meeting with relatives.
There used to be two more bazaars in Ishkashim
and Khorog.
They closed after reports of a possible Taliban attack. The bazaar in Darvaz was preserved only because many people live on both sides of the border around it. Stopping the trade would be a disaster for them.
Those who come here are under vigilant control. Security officials walk in rows and watch everyone.
How to cross the border?
Security measures are being taken, although the technical equipment of the Tajik-Afghan border leaves much to be desired.
To get to the other side, you need to be prepared for the fact that you have to go through a series of checks. People crossing the border check:
- migration control service;
- border guards.
- customs officers;
- and Afghans also have the Drug Control Agency.
But this does not mean that there is complete control at the border. In the east, the line passes through inaccessible mountains, where it is impossible to close all the passages. In the west - along the river. The Panj River can be wade in many places. This is especially easy in autumn and winter, when the river is shallow. Than the locals on both sides and enjoy. Smugglers do not disdain opportunities.
Milestones
The Tajik-Afghan border directly fell into Russia's sphere of interests a century and a half ago.
Russia began to glance towards Turkestan at the beginning of the 18th century, under Peter I. The first campaign was in 1717. An army marched on Khorezm led by A. Bekovich-Cherkassky. The campaign was unsuccessful. After serious attempts to invade Central Asia, about a hundred years have not been made.
In the middle of the 19th century, having captured the Caucasus, Russia again moved to Central Asia. The emperor sent troops several times on heavy and bloody campaigns.
Torn apart by internal strife, Turkestan fell. The Khiva Khanate (Khorezm) and the Bukhara Emirate obeyed the Russian Empire. The Kokand khanate that resisted them for a long time was completely abolished.
Having captured Turkestan, Russia came into contact with China, Afghanistan and came too close to India, which scared Britain in earnest.
Since then, the Tajik-Afghan border has become a headache for Russia. In addition to the hurt interests of England and the corresponding consequences, border protection itself was a big problem. The peoples who inhabited the region were from China, from Afghanistan, and from Turkestan that there were no clearly defined borders.
Bounding provided a lot of problems. They solved the problem in the good old way, which was also used in the Caucasus. Fortresses were built along the perimeter of the border with Afghanistan and China and populated by soldiers and Cossacks. The Tajik-Afghan border gradually settled down. Those who served often stayed there. So the cities appeared:
- Skobelev (Ferghana);
- Faithful (Alma-Ata).
In 1883, the Pamir border detachment settled in Murghab.
In 1895, border detachments appeared:
- in Rushan;
- in Kalai Vamara;
- in Shungan;
- in Khorog.
In 1896, a detachment appeared in the village of Dung.
In 1899, Nicholas II created the 7th border district, whose headquarters was located in Tashkent.
Border at the beginning of the 20th century
At the beginning of the 20th century, the border with Afghanistan again became one of the hottest spots. During World War I, rebellions broke out one after another. Great Britain and Germany, striving to weaken the position of Russia, supported and fueled uprisings, helping with both money and weapons.
After the overthrow of tsarism, the situation did not get any better. The uprisings and small skirmishes continued for another two decades. This movement was called Basmachism. The last major battle happened in 1931.
After that began what is called "not peace and not war." There were no major battles, but constant clashes with small detachments and killings of officials did not give rest to the authorities or local residents.
After the end of World War II, there was a lull that ended in 1979, with the invasion of Soviet troops in Afghanistan.
Border in the nineties
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, troubled times returned to the border. The war in Afghanistan continued. In Tajikistan, a civil war broke out. The border guards who became "no man's land" were between two fires and did not intervene in the situation.
In 1992, Russia recognized its border guards. On their basis, a “group of border troops of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Tajikistan” was created, which was left to guard the Tajik-Afghan border. 1993 was the most difficult year for border guards.
This year's events boomed throughout the world. Everyone was discussing the battle of Russian border guards on the Tajik-Afghan border.
How it was?
At dawn on July 13, 1993, militants attacked the 12th outpost of the Moscow border detachment under the command of Afghan field commander Kari Hamidullah. The battle was heavy, 25 people were killed. The attackers lost 35 people. By the middle of the day, the surviving border guards retreated. The reserve detachment that came to the rescue evacuated them by helicopter.
However, to keep the captured outpost and conduct positional battles was not included in the plans of the militants. After the battle, they left, and by evening the border guards again took over the outpost.
In November of that year, the 12th outpost was renamed the outpost “named after 25 heroes”.
