DUSHANBE January 7, 2015, Asia-Plus -- Tajik special services are reportedly watching concentration of armed militants in Afghan border area near Tajikistan.

Itar Tass quoted an official source at the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan (SCNS) as saying that they have information about the dangerous concentration of armed militants in the Afghan border area near the Tajik border and they have taken a number of preventive measures.  

“We monitor the situation in our areas bordering Afghanistan, especially the Badakhshan and Panj stretches where concentration of armed militants of various terrorist and extremist groups such as the Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is observed,” the source told Itar Tass in an interview, commenting on the possible intrusion of a group of the Taliban militants into Tajikistan.

According to him, Tajik special services have taken a number of measures to strengthen the most vulnerable stretches of Tajikistan’s common border with Afghanistan.

“Close cooperation with colleagues from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member nations has been established on exchange of updated information about the purpose of concentration of armed militants near the border with Tajikistan and their plans,” the source was quoted as saying.

“Intelligence data show that there is no threat of direct intrusion into Tajikistan.  However, we should keep our powder dry,” said the source.  “Besides, the Russian military base, which is an important element of the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Force, is deployed in Tajikistan.”

At the same time, Afghan drug mafia has become more active, the source added.