Tajikistan 'Extremely Concerned' About Situation Along Afghan Border

By RFE/RL

President Emomali Rahmon has said Tajikistan was "extremely concerned" about the situation along the Tajik-Afghan border.

During a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on October 6, Rahmon said the situation in Afghanistan was "getting worse by the day." 

"Practically, fighting is going on along more than 60 percent of the Tajik border with Afghanistan," he added.

For his part, Putin said, “We need to talk about both bilateral relations and the situation in the region, which we are certainly worried about."

The comments come after the Taliban last week briefly captured the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, just 70 kilometers from the Tajik border.

The Tajik government has been receiving help from Russia and other countries to better defend its 1,200-kilometer-long border with Afghanistan.

With reporting by Interfax