DUSHANBE, December 7, Asia-Plus - The past eleven months have seen 18 skirmishes between Tajik border guards and armed drug smugglers on the Tajik-Afghan border, according to the border service within the State Committee on National Security.

More than 1,958 kilograms of drugs, including 896 kilograms of heroin, has been intercepted on the border over the same eleven-month period.  

Besides, 138 cases of illegally crossing the border have been reported over past eleven months and 213 border violators have been detained, according to the source, according to the source.  Of these 138 cases,  56 have been registered on the border with Afghanistan.

Over the report period, Tajik border troops have seized 55 firearms, including 19 sub-machine-guns, and more than 11,000 bullets of different caliber.

In January-November 2006, Tajik border guards in cooperation with other power-wielding structures of the country carried out 124 joint operations.