There is a news or maybe a new rumour that Uzbekistan has begun to clear border areas (with Tajikistan) from mines. Uzbekistan mined its border with Tajikistan in the 90s. 14 fields have been demined, and 65 mines have been exterminated.
Nargis Khamrabaeva reports that National Security services of Tajikistan confirmed this information, whereas the Director of the Centre on land-mine questions, Dzhonmakhmad Radzhabov wasn’t informed about undertakings of Uzbekistan. He said this information needs to be verified, but if it was true, there was certainly reason for celebration. He points that these actions need to be undertaken in presence of both states and under observation of international experts.
She reminds that 71 civilians (Tajik nationals) were blown up on the Tajik-Uzbek border, 30% of which are children under age.
Mines and borders. Somehow, there is an impression that nobody knows what is happening on the ground. I remember I asked some people in Uzbekistan about mines, some competent people, some answered there were no mines, or some didn’t know of their existence. Some said mines were only in the mountains, and that normal people wouldn’t travel through the mountains but rather use border cross-points. (So mines here function as a filter, to sort out normals from abnormals, maybe even terrorists) There is so little information, which provides huge rooms for rumours. There are, definitely, a number of casualties on the Uzbek side as well, but, unfortunately, there is no access to information of this sort.