DUSHANBE, December 11, Asia-Plus -- A government commission, comprising representatives from the security council, president’s office and power-wielding structures, today morning flew to Shuroobod to study the situation on that stretch of the Tajik-Afghan border.

The source at president’s office said the commission is to determine effective measures to strengthen protection of the Shuroobod stretch of the border.  

Tajik authorities are seriously concerned over the situation on this stretch of the border.  One of the serious problems is remoteness of frontier posts from the border line.  Kulob law enforcement authorities say the nearest frontier post is situated 7 kilometers of the border line and the remotest front post is situated 25 kilometers of the border. 

According to experts, the Shuroobod stretch remains the most vulnerable part of the Tajik-Afghan border.  A large part of this stretch of the border is effectively unguarded.  The Shuroobod stretch contains a number of “black holes” that smugglers and Afghan drug dealers can exploit.      

As it had been reported earlier, Afghan drug dealers are taking desperate measures such as cattle rustling, kidnapping and hostage taking to recover debts.  According to unofficial sources, over the past two years, more than 15 people here have been taken hostage to clear money owed to the Afghan drug dealers.  Many of them have already been released through negotiations.

One of the latest such cases occurred in Shuroobod on December 8.  Khoushnoud Rahmatulloyev, a spokesman for the main border directorate of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB), said that a group of Afghan armed smugglers had been detected near the deserted village of Vori.  As a result of skirmish between Tajik border guards and Afghan smugglers, one of trespassers was killed, while others managed to flee.  No casualties among Tajik border guards were reported, the spokesman said.