The Border Troops (), also called the Border Service, is the border security force of

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

. Functioning under the State Committee for National Security as part of the Armed Forces, the border guards are trained by the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...

, along with the

Afghan Border Police The Afghan Border Force (ABF) was responsible for security of Afghanistan's border area with neighboring countries extending up to into the interior and formed part of the Afghan National Army. In December 2017, most of the Afghan Border Police ...

. A higher education college is located in the capital,

Dushanbe Dushanbe ( tg, Душанбе, ; ; russian: Душанбе) is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 863,400 and that population was largely Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe (ru ...

, the Border Troops Academy, and a Border Troops Training Centre is located south of it, in the

Rudaki District ) ( tg, Ноҳияи Рӯдакӣ) , image_map = Location of Rudaki District in Tajikistan.png , mapsize = , map_caption = Location of the district in Tajikistan , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdi ...

. The main control station of the border troops is the Border Management Center of the Main Border Guard Directorate of the SCNS. Outside the border troops, a detachment of the Border Service of the FSB deployed in Tajikistan mostly consists of Tajik conscripts preferring to serve under Russian command.

History

At the very beginning of the

Tajikistani Civil War The Tajikistani Civil War ( tg, Ҷанги шаҳрвандии Тоҷикистон, translit=Jangi shahrvandiyi Tojikiston / Çangi shahrvandiji Toçikiston; russian: Гражданская война в Таджикистане), also known ...

, one of the main factors in the escalation was the state border. As a result, a Special Border Brigade, and later the Border Protection Department, were set up under the auspices of the State Security Committee, and a decision was made by the

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (russian: Президиум Верховного Совета, Prezidium Verkhovnogo Soveta) was a body of state power in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).national army and mobile forces, took part in a military drill with

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

. Their objective was to eliminate two terrorist groups on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border. In late 2014, four Tajik border guards were abducted from their posts on the border with

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

by an unidentified group. Unidentified gunmen from Afghanistan killed 2 Tajik border guards on 26 August 2018.

Structure

The border troops control the following: * 3 regional administrations * 17 border detachments * 2

Spetsnaz Spetsnaz are special forces in numerous post-Soviet states. (The term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or .) Historically, the term ''spetsnaz'' referred to the S ...

units * Separate air squadron * 7 border commandant's offices * 158 observation posts * 34 checkpoints * 4 training centers * 5 military units of technical support * Border Troops Academy

Educational institutions

Frontier Institute

Training Center "Poytakht"

The Training Center "Poytakht" of the Border Troops is located in the metropolitan area of Firdavsi of Dushanbe. It is considered the main training base for servicemen of the Border Troops of SCNS, conducting the training of a large number of recruits of border guards, military personnel, including sappers, signalers, dog handlers, drivers, snipers and motorized infantry. Facilities include a sewing workshop, an assembly hall, an educational building and Radio-technical Border Management College. The silver jubilee

military parade A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the la ...

occurred on the site of the center in 2019.

Military Gymnasium

The Border Troops Military Gymnasium named after Cyrus the Great (Kurushi Kabir) was opened on 28 May 2019. The building of the Military Gymnasium consists of three two-storey buildings with an area of 1,360 square meters that includes classrooms, libraries and dormitories. Many of the students of this institution are orphans who come from remote cities and districts of the country, and it annually enrolls up to 100 people after 9th grade. Training in this gymnasium is conducted mainly in the

Tajik language Tajik (Tajik: , , ), also called Tajiki Persian (Tajik: , , ) or Tajiki, is the variety of Persian spoken in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan by Tajiks. It is closely related to neighbouring Dari with which it forms a continuum of mutually intelligi ...

, and 14 non-military teachers also teach various subjects. Language classrooms specializing in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Chinese, Turkish and

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

are also built in. Education in the gymnasium is defined as two years, and graduates have the opportunity to further study at domestic and foreign military universities, including those in the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

, and

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

. It has a large library for students, which allows students to use a wide range of literature. The institution is designed for 130 people. A greenhouse was built near the gymnasium in order to provide students with fresh products.https://mfa.tj/tg/main/view/4155/iftitohi-gimnaziyai-harbii-ba-nomi-vorisoni-kurushi-kabir-i-qushunhoi-sarhadii-kumitai-davlatii-amniyati-millii-jumhurii-tojikiston

Chairman

* Sherali Mirzo (2006–2013) * Rajabali Rahmonali (since 2013)

References

{{reflist Border protection 1994 establishments in Tajikistan *Troops