Russia is ready to protect its ally Tajikistan in the event of any incursions from neighbouring Afghanistan, a senior diplomat was quoted on Friday as saying, amid Russian media reports of a militant Tajik group preparing a cross-border attack.
Tajiks are the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and make up a majority of the population in some northern areas close to the border with Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic.
According to Russian media reports, the predominantly ethnic Pashtun Taliban have struck an alliance with one particular Tajik militant group which may be planning an incursion into Tajikistan.
“All necessary assistance will be provided to Tajikistan if required, both within the (Moscow-led) Collective Security Treaty Organisation framework and bilaterally,” Interfax news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko as saying.