Afghanistan–Uzbekistan barrier

Map of Uzbekistan with Afghanistan to the south.

The Uzbekistan–Afghanistan barrier is a border barrier, built by Uzbekistan along its 137-kilometres border with Afghanistan along the Amu Darya River.[1] It is among the most heavily guarded borders in the world, second only to the border barrier between North and South Korea. It consists of a barbed wire fence and a second, taller, 380-volt electrified barbed-wire fence, land mines and a patrol of heavily armed Uzbek soldiers.[2][3] It stretches along the entire Uzbek-Afghan frontier from Turkmenistan to Tajikistan.

Days after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, when America announced the start of military operations against the Taliban regime based in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan fortified the border fence in the province of Surkhandaria to stop any illegal migrants or refugees crossing the border. However, there is one bridge, the Afghanistan-Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge, that crosses the Amu Darya river and the barrier.[4]

See also

References

  1. Wielki Encyklopedyczny Atlas Świata, t. 9: Azja Środkowo-Zachodnia. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 2006, s. 52. ISBN 83-01-14924-8.
  2. McElroy, Damien (November 11, 2001). "Tashkent urged to allow UN aid across bridge". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  3. Bivens, Matt (November 16, 2001). "The Afghan Humanitarian Crisis". The Nation. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  4. Naima Suleyman, Urakbai Ketbenbaev (October 2, 2001). "Uzbek Forces on War Footing". Institute for War & Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-07.


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