DUSHANBE, August 6, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- On Sunday August 5, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon had a telephone conversation with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai.

Referring to the Afghan president’s press center, Afghanistan.ru reports that the sides discussed issues related to providing security on the Afghan-Tajik border.  Rahmon and Karzai reportedly agreed to take joint measures to provide security on the border.

The two also discussed ways to expand bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation between Afghanistan and Tajikistan in different fields, Afghanistan.ru reported.

We will recall that Rahmon also had telephone conversation with Hamid Karzai on July 25 following a special operation targeting what the government called “militants” that was launched in Khorog, the capital of Gorno Badakhshan on July 24.  the government has blamed Tolib Ayombekov, a former warlord from the civil war and current deputy commander of the border unit in the Ishkashim district, for the murder of the GBAO regional security chief Abdullo Nazarov who was stabled to death on July 21.

During 25 July discussions with President Rahmon, Afghan President Karzai reportedly promised to deploy additional troops along border.

Meanwhile, Afghan media sources report that Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday accepted the resignation of Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and Afghan Minister of Interiors Bismillah Khan Mohammadi.  Afghan President Hamid Karzai reportedly confirmed Parliament’s decision to dismiss two senior security ministers.  In a statement, Mr. Karzai said he had requested that both of the men who were dismissed, Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak and Interior Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, stay on until replacements could be found.  Describing them as “true sons of Afghanistan,” he said that they would be decorated for their service and would remain in the government in different jobs.