One man was killed and two injured after stepping on a landmine along Tajikistan’s mountainous border with Uzbekistan, AFP reported on Monday. According to the report, some 20 civilians, including women and children, have been killed, and many others seriously injured, while walking along the border area between the two countries to collect firewood or herbs near their villages.
The latest incident highlights what is fast becoming a major source of political contention between Dushanbe and Tashkent, with Tajik officials continually sending letters of protest about the landmines to their Uzbek counterparts. Uzbek border guards mined the ill-defined border area between the two countries in an attempt to discourage any potential intrusions, via Tajikistan, by members of the radical Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the report said.
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