Rakhmon

Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon on Saturday signed a law to create a holiday honouring his autocratic rule in a move that fuels fears of a burgeoning personality cult in the Central Asian state.

US Secretary of State John Kerry sought today to reassure the rulers of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan that Washington remained committed to Central Asia's security, even though it is withdrawing troops from neighbouring Afghanistan.

US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Tajikistan today to talk about security threats on its Afghan border, on the fourth leg of a five-nation tour of Central Asia.

Farrukh Sharifov, a 25-year-old Tajik who repented after joining the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, spoke softly as he addressed a room full of journalists and police in his Central Asian homeland.

Tajikistan voted today to elect a new parliament that will likely be dominated by the party of President Imomali Rakhmon who has ruled the Central Asian nation since 1992 and is backed by Moscow, which has thousands of troops stationed there.

The president of Tajikistan on Saturday called the Islamic State group a modern "plague", expressing concern that several hundred young people had left the ex-Soviet republic to fight with jihadists in Syria.

Tajikistan blocked access to more than 100 local and foreign websites on Tuesday, in what a government source said was a rehearsal of silencing critics before next year's election when President Imomali Rakhmon will again run for office.

Tajikistan has blocked access to Facebook in response to a slew of comments spreading "mud and slander" about veteran President Imomali Rakhmon and officials in the Central Asian republic.

Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon on Saturday signed a law to create a holiday honouring his autocratic rule in a move that fuels fears of a burgeoning personality cult in the Central Asian state.

US Secretary of State John Kerry sought today to reassure the rulers of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan that Washington remained committed to Central Asia's security, even though it is withdrawing troops from neighbouring Afghanistan.

US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Tajikistan today to talk about security threats on its Afghan border, on the fourth leg of a five-nation tour of Central Asia.

Farrukh Sharifov, a 25-year-old Tajik who repented after joining the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, spoke softly as he addressed a room full of journalists and police in his Central Asian homeland.

Tajikistan voted today to elect a new parliament that will likely be dominated by the party of President Imomali Rakhmon who has ruled the Central Asian nation since 1992 and is backed by Moscow, which has thousands of troops stationed there.

The president of Tajikistan on Saturday called the Islamic State group a modern "plague", expressing concern that several hundred young people had left the ex-Soviet republic to fight with jihadists in Syria.

Tajikistan blocked access to more than 100 local and foreign websites on Tuesday, in what a government source said was a rehearsal of silencing critics before next year's election when President Imomali Rakhmon will again run for office.

Tajikistan has blocked access to Facebook in response to a slew of comments spreading "mud and slander" about veteran President Imomali Rakhmon and officials in the Central Asian republic.