Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan The Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan (Tajik:Қувваҳои Мусаллаҳи Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон) is the national military of the Republic of Tajikistan. It consists of National Army, Mobile Forces, Air Force, Presidential National Guard, border and internal troops. There are also significant Russian forces in the country principally the 201st Motor Rifle Division. Unlike the other former Soviet states of Central Asia, Tajikistan did not form armed forces based upon former Soviet units on its territory. Instead, the Russian Ministry of Defence took control of the Dushanbe-based 201st Motor Rifle Division. Control simply shifted
Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic the Tajik SSR declared sovereignty in its borders. The republic was renamed to the Republic of Tajikistan on 31 August 1991 and declared its independence from the Soviet Union on 9 September 1991. Geographically, at , it was bordered by Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kirghizia to the north, and China to the east. Pakistan was to the south, separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor. The name Tajik refers to the name of a pre-Islamic tribe that existed before the seventh century A.D. Based on the Library of Congress's 1997 Country Study of Tajikistan, it is difficult