On July 21, General Abdullo Nazarov, a senior state security official in Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province was stabbed and killed. The government pinned blame on Tolib Ayombekov, a former opposition commander who, until being accused of the killing, held a senior post with the Tajik border guards in the region. Government forces subsequently launched a series of military strikes targeting Ayombekov that have left dozens dead. Although the Tajik government says it has halted military operations, the remote Gorno-Badakhshan region -- an isolated, mountainous area that shares borders with Afghanistan, China, and Kyrgyzstan -- remains a hotbed of unrest.
RFE/RL's Robert Coalson and Tajik Service Director Sojida Djakhfarova offer an explainer and video analysis on the economic, political, and strategic importance of Gorno-Badakhshan. CNN also interviews RFE/RL freelancer Mirzojalol Shojamol on the communications blackout in the region.
RFE/RL's Robert Coalson and Tajik Service Director Sojida Djakhfarova offer an explainer and video analysis on the economic, political, and strategic importance of Gorno-Badakhshan. CNN also interviews RFE/RL freelancer Mirzojalol Shojamol on the communications blackout in the region.