Border agencies of the Commonwealth of Independent States are concerned over the situation on its external borders with Afghanistan where some 4,500 terrorists are reportedly concentrated, a senior CIS military official told reporters on Thursday. "All leaders of border agencies in the CIS member countries are greatly alarmed by the situation that is developing not only on our external borders, but also in Syria and other states, connected with the terrorist activity of Islamic State and other terrorist organizations," Alexander Manilov told a briefing within a session of the Council of the Border Troops Commanders (CBRC) of CIS, under way in the capital of Kazakhstan. "According to estimates that concern the Afghan borders directly with CIS member states, some 4,500 terrorists are concentrated in near-border areas of that republic," he said, noting that the situation on the border with Afghanistan was the most difficult at the moment. Additional measures were taken to enhance border security in the CIS (a loose alliance of former Soviet republics), said Manilov, the chairman of the CBRC's coordination service. He said Tajikistan was receiving assistance from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and the decision was also taken to assist the republic within the CIS framework. "The same assistance is rendered nowadays to our colleagues in Kyrgyzstan for the strengthening of its border security," Manilov said. "A program for strengthening these borders has been worked out. That is why we are now ready to adequately rebuff those who attempt to destabilize the situation on the external borders of the Commonwealth," he added. The CSTO assembly groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
