Russia on Thursday handed over the control of an 881-kilometer stretch of the Tajik-Afghan border to Tajikistan as part of a plan aimed at complete withdrawal of Russian border guards by 2006.

The Interfax news agency reported that the documents formalizing the handover were signed in the Tajik capital Dushanbe.

Under these documents, Russia will withdraw its three detachments of border guards on the Pamir section of the border and transferred gratis the facilities worth 230 million ruble (8.23 million US dollars) to Tajikistan.

Russia has helped this former Soviet republic patrol its borderwith Afghanistan since 1991. On Oct. 18, Russia signed an agreement with Tajikistan, pledging to withdraw its border guards by 2006.

Source: Xinhua