Amid a growing number of armed incidents along the Tajik-Afghan border, the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has announced plans to supply Tajikistan’s border forces with advanced weapons and equipment, Eurasianet reported on January 30.

The decision follows a deadly clash on January 29 in Tajikistan’s Khatlon Province, where border guards engaged in a firefight with suspected drug traffickers. According to Tajik authorities, three alleged traffickers were killed, while others reportedly fled back into Afghanistan. No casualties among Tajik security personnel were reported. Officials said weapons, ammunition, and 73 packages of narcotics, including hashish and opium, were seized at the scene.

Armed confrontations along the border have increased in recent months. Some of the most serious incidents occurred in November, when attacks reportedly carried out by Islamic militants targeted Chinese workers, killing five people. Following those attacks, China temporarily suspended participation in infrastructure and mining projects in border areas, citing security concerns.

On January 29, the Interfax news agency reported, citing CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov, that the organization is preparing to deliver weapons and technical equipment aimed at strengthening Tajikistan’s border security and improving its ability to counter militant and drug-trafficking threats originating from Afghanistan.

According to Masadykov, CSTO member states are currently coordinating lists of weapons, military hardware, and technical border-protection systems to be supplied. “Suppliers are being identified, and contracts are in the process of being finalized,” Interfax quoted him as saying.

No timeline for the delivery of the equipment has been announced.

The CSTO includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Armenia remains a formal member but has suspended its active participation in the organization.