UZBEK SSR-TADZHIK SSR -- AFGHAN BORDER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP08C01297R000100150001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 74
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 14, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 1, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

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' GEOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
=EH SSR-TADZHIK SSR ? AFGHAN BORDER
CIA/RR-OR-TT
June 1955
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CE1ITRAL INTELIZGKICE AGENIC!
Office of Research and Reports
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CGSTENTS
Page
PREFACE iv
I. Introduction 1
11. Boundary Location and Description 1
III. Climate. . . ... **** . OOOOOO ? it
A.
High Mountains of the East O OOO .. OOOOOOO
5
B.
Transition Zone . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
C.
Western Plains
6
Iv.
Light Factors. . . ..??? .
9
V.
Afghan Side of the Border. . . . ea ........ . 'PO 0 9
10
A.
Physical Features . . . . . . .......... . . .
10
1. Terrain. . .???.. ..... aoma?v???
10
2. Vegetation and Animal Ldfe ....... . . . . .
17
B.
Peoples . . . 04 000000 co??04.0
00?12? ?? 0
18
1. Distribution and Characteristics . ? 04 0000
18
2. Restrictive Measures.... . a 0 e? o . . 0
28
C.
Economic Activity
29
D.
Transportation
30
V/.
USSR Side of the Border
39
A.
9.00
Physical Features . ,?.. .
39
1. Terrain .. . ? ? ? . ? ? ?
39
2. Vegetation and Animal Life
43
B.
Peoples
47
1. Distribution and Characteristics . . ?O .
47
2. Control Measures . . . . . . . . . ? . . . ? ? ? ?
51
3. Towns. ? ? . . . ? . 40?????? ? ? 8 WO
52
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C. Agriculture
D. Transportation. . .
Page
58
? ? ? . ? C OOOOOOO 61
List of Figures
Figure
DSSBAfghanistan Boundary Markers
Bridge over the Nokeha River at Faisdbad
November snow cover northwest of Faizabad
3
7
8
1.
2.
3.
4.
Valley of the Talion River
12
5.
Typical terrain south of the Amu Darya plains
13
6.
Looking northwest from Mazar-i-Sharif
14
7.
Floodplain of the Amu Darya south of the sand belt. .
15
8.
Short grass near the Amu Darya northwest of Faizabad.
19
9.
Aerial view of Faizabad
21
10.
Panorama of Faizabad from west through north to northeast
A. Northwest portion
22
B. Northeast portion
23
11.
A street in Faizabad
24
12.
Tadzhik group at Tola
25
13.
Three Uzbeks at Dushi
26
14.
Automobile bogged down in sand
31
15.
Road between Mazar-i-Sharif and Kalif
32
16.
Flat stretch of road 23 miles northwest of
Mazar-i-Sharif
33
?
111`
17.
On the in road from Ag. Chah to Shibargan
35
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ft
18.
19.
? ?
? k 6
. . .
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37
laravanserai 14 miles southeast of Aq Chah . . ?
Along the road between Tashkurgan and Mazar-i-Sharif
20.
Chopping ice to get horses across rough terrain.
. ?
6 ? V
38
21.
Rounded hills northeast of Lake Victoria . . . .
? ?
a ? .
41
22.
hooking west down the Amu Darya near Qala Weimar.
. .
? 4 V
42
23.
Rolling sandy area near the north bank of the Amu Darya. .
44
24.
Tadzhik girl from the Pamirs . . . . . ? ? . . 4?4
? ?11
49
25.
Overlooking part of the town of Chorog . . ..
.
? C
?? .
53
26.
ifttecmological station near Khorog . . .????*a. .
54
27.
Hydroelectric station near Xborog. . 00?90
? 4
a? .
55
28.
Botanical Garden on the outskirts of Khorog .
. . .
56
29.
Temporary storage of cotton near Kurgan-Tyube. .
. 2
4 4 .
59
?
30.
A portion of the village of Murgab in Eastern Pamir.
. . .
62
31.
On the Stalinabad-Khorog road. . . . . . , . . .
# ?
?? a
63
1.22mt
.11)slE,
1.
Map of the Wakhan Corridor (13327)
65
2.
Uzbek SSR-Tadzhik SSR -- Afghan Border (13685)
65
I.
iii
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PR3FACE
Along the fringe of the area of Soviet domination there are countless
opportunities for the extension of Russian influence into what is still
called the Free World. Such incursions begin with the well known pattern
of quiet infiltration, continue through extenuations of normal economic
and cultural relations and the more obvious propaganda campaign, and may
eventually reach the "incident" or "shooting" stage. In Afghanistan
infiltration was underway in the early postwar years and the country is
now in the stage of reluctant entanglement in Soviet trade agreements
and construction programs. Such arrangements are all conducted at the
appropriate diplomatic level and result in showy items of physical
Improvement that provide quick propaganda returns. They contrast
strongly with the fundamentals of human health, livestock raising, and
farming with which American organizations are trying to rebuild the
country from the ground up. They also make certain Afghan officials
feel very smart in being able to play East against West.
All this chicanery requires a number of "ordinary Joes" on the
lower rungs of the economic ladder who will spread the word of
Communism and produce a climate receptive to a larger share of Soviet
control. For this work the ideal man is at hand. The converted Uzbek,
Tadzhik or TUrkoman of Soviet Central Asia needs little briefing to
become an active Propagandist or a "sleeper" in Afghanistan. He speaks
the language and knows the way of life, and settles in a northern
community that feels a kinship with his place of origin. It is hoped
that the geographic background of northern Afghanistan presented in this
brief report and those referenced in the Introduction will be of some
slight assistance to those who must deal with this problem.
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THE UZBEK-TADZHIK SSR -AFGHANISTAN BORDER
I. Introduction
The area of this study involves approximately the eastern three-
fifths of the USSR-Afghanistan border. Its eastern portion lies in
one of the most rugged, remote, and unexplored regions of the world
and is known only from fragmentary information. Towards the west it
grades into rolling plains country that supports sheep raising and
irrigation agriculture, with a more pretentious collective-funning
system north of the Amu Darya.
Information about the two countries differs so markedly that
parts of the study have been divided into Afghan and USSR units,
each covering a 20-mile-wide strip on one side of the border. The
sections on Boundary, Climate, and Light Factors of course apply to
both sides.
Because it is equal to this report in availability,
practically none of the textual information in it is repeated here,
but its reference map, CIA 13327, is included as Map 1 of this
report.
II. Boundary Location and Description
An island at the eastern end of Lake Victoria is the dividing
point between a watercourse boundary to the west and a land boundary --
largely mountain peak and ridge -- for the remaining hundred miles to
the east.
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Where a watercourse forms the boundary, the actual boundary
designated is the center of the deepest part of the channel. In
upper reaches, where there is no navigation and a "deepest channel"
is of little significance, the actual boundary is the midpoint of
the stream. All the islands are numbered from vest to east and are
allocated to either USSR or Afghanistan, in most eases by determining
the deepest part of the channel. Islands in the Amu Darya River are
numbered 1 to 69, those in the Ab-i-Penja from 1 to 1041, and those
in the Pamir River from 1 to 82. The location of the Pamir River
is adequately well known: it flows southwest from near the west
end of Lake Victoria at about 37?27tN-73?35?E to its junction with
the Ab-i=Wakhan from the east at 37?01'N-72?371E. These combined
streams farm the Ab-i-Panja River which flows generally westward
with a loop to the north, and Changes its name to Amu. Darya some-
where east of the Uzbek-Madthik boundary at 37?12'N-67046T. In
the absence of boundary maps or maps Showing the numbers of the
islands, it is impossible to tell precisely where this name-
Change occurs, but it is certain that the Afghan native uses the
term Am: Darya at least as far east as Wigan and probably applies
it farther eastward to the rivers otherwise known as Ab-iseanja
and Ab-i-Makhan.
Where the boundary is determined by a watercourse, two boundary
pillars are erected on the land an opposite sides of the watercourse,
one pillar within the territory of each country. The pillars are
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SECRET
White
Green
AFGHANISTAN
PILLAR MARKER
2% Meters
5 Meters
BOUNDARY
MARKER
214 Meters
USSR PILLAR
MARKER
USSR AFGHANISTAN BOUNDARY MARKERS
Center marker and distances apply to a land boundary only. A watercourse
boundary is marked by placing the two large pillars on opposite banks.
Figure 1.
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marked as in Figure 1, and the pairs are erected at intervals of 2-1A
km. along the watercourse.
On the land boundary, a survey station is located approximately
every 10 km.; but the nature, size, and appearance of such stations
are not known. The station, however, is marked by pillars, as in
Figure 1, with the two large pillars 5 meters apart, equidistant
from the boundary, and a much smaller pillar on a line between them
and directly on the boundary line. The small center pillar is said
to be made of wood.
III. Climate
This is essentially a dry region. On the east is the huh,
cold steppe-desert of Eastern and Western Pamir. On the vest is a
low, warm true desert that extends westward far beyond the borders of
Uzbekistan. The zone between them is transitional in temperature
(as it is in elevation) and has more rainfall than either; but it is
still a dry region.
Throughout the study area summer nights are considerably cooler
than the days but both are fairly consistent, or uniform from day to
day. Winter weather is variable, as it is in New -York or Chicago,
with irregular periods of cold and milder temperatures. Winter
skies are clouded about half the time, and much lees in summer, but
contact flying conditions prevail nearly all of the time. Thunder
may be heard in spring and summer, but not all thunderheads produce
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rain that that reaches the ground. Minds are stronger than most Americans
are accustomed to, often reaching gale force in winter.
A. Nigh Mountains of the East
General weather conditions in the eastern Wean Corridor and
the high rolling hills of Eastern Pamir are very much like those
experienced in the mountains of Colorado, but Eastern Pamir has less
snow and rain and more severe minters than Colorado. Probably no
place receives as much as 5 inches of precipitation, but the low
temperatures permit this pittance to support a thin grass and low
bush vegetation in places, which in turn supports a few cattle.
Snow may fall in any month.
Since the lowest valleys lie well above 10,000 feet, frost (32?F)
can be expected on any night in summer. After sunrise the air warms
up rapidly to the 60's or 70's, and a person on the ground may want to
travel in shirtsleeves, but it is always cool in the shade. The air
is usually so clear that sunburn is a constant danger although small
dust swirls or rain clouds may occur in the afternoon. Most or
the neagre rainfall comes in late spring and early summer and
streams are increased to flood stage by melting snows. By late sum-
mer or fall, there is little rain and most of the snow has melted --
making September and October the best months for travel on the
ground (see Figure 2).
,Winters are intensely cold. Daytime temperatures seldom rise
above freezing for five solid months and nights average from 0 to 20
degrees below 0o:F. Blizzards are frequent, and many places retain a
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cover of snow throughout the winter. Although there may be an
occasional year with much less than average snowfall, snow is alwNys
an impediment to land transportation in winter. At the other extreme,
valleys and passes may be under many feet of drifted snow all winter.
B. Transition Zone
From Russian Ishkashim and Khorog in Western Pamir to Chubek,
where the Amu Darya reaches 2,000 feet, and Kirovabad a little down-
stream on the plain, all temperatures increase and rainfall averages
about 10 inches a year. In this transition area, winters are not so
severe (see Figures 3 and*, and summers are distinctly warm.
Western slopes are probably much wetter than eastern slopes; e.g.
Khorog, in a distinct physiographic pocket, receives 9 inches of
rainfall; Kirovobad 10 inches; but Khlyab? 20 miles north of the
river, and backed by mountains on the east, is reported to receive
22 inches. Unlike Eastern Pamir, this area, as well as the warm
desert plains to the west, has a preponderance of precipitation in
winter and practically none in the 4 summer months.
C. Western Plains
The low, sandy desert plains of the Amu Darya west of Kirovabad,
with 5 or less inches of rain a year, are relatively dryer than the
Pamirs. Summer daytime temperatures are usually over 9507, and the
common dust haze occasionally obscures the sun. Eights are usually
comfortably cool.
6
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9.
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, Minter is a period of variable conditions. Bain, sleet, snow,
and cloud, followed by clear days and 0?0 weather, alternate with warm
spells In which daytime temperatures reach the Ws and most of the
snow melts. During cold spells the temperature occasionally reuedms
below freezing all day. The Amu Darya at Kalif, in the extreme vest,
may have a solid freeze for 2 weeks at a time, with ice a foot thick.
IV. Light Factors
If it were not for the high mountains, the duration of daylight
throughout the boundary region would be about the same as at San
Francisco or Washington, D.C., and a traveler in the western part of
the area mould experience a light regime similar to that of those
two cities. In the east, of sheer necessity, a person on the ground
would travel along valley bottoms rather than on ridges or sidewalls.
Mountain tops and ridges would rise 10 to 40 degrees above the line
of level sight and cut off several hours of sunlight in all seasons.
A valley with southern slopes steeper than 30 degrees would receive
no direct sunlight at the valley floor in midwinter.
One has to have lived in a high, dry area to appreciate the
tricks that atmosphere can play an the eye. lack of moisture and
dust particles in the air permit so mudh better vision than most
people are accustomed to that distances are judged to be 20 percent
to 90 percent of their true value.
Terrain permitting, native homes in the mountainous areas are
placed where the sun will strike them as much as possible, as on the
northern side of a stream or higher up on a south-facing slope.
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V. A._.tEbn ?L._...o.t.t.__deheBorder_
A. Physical Features
1. Terrain
The eastern portion of the Tadzhik-Afghan border area consists
of the Wakhan Corridor, from 8 to Ipo miles wide and between 8,500 and
21,000 feet in elevation. Bozai Guthaz is the junction of the west-
flowing Aq Su and Ab-i-Wakhan, Whose valleys form the two eastern
prongs of the Corridor. The Aq. Su on the north has a string of
swampy lakes in its narrow, flat bottom, which is called the Little
Ps74r*, but its northern slopes up to the border are cut by steep,
barren, V-shaped valleys. The rest of the Corridor border area
slopes steeply down to the north from the Nicholas Range to Lake
Victoria and the Pamir River, and from the crest of the Hindu Kush
on the AfghanistamPakistanbceder to the Ab-i-Panja. These valleys
too have relatively narrow flat bottoms, that along the Great Pamir*
(not Pamir River) having a considerable grass cover. Along the
Ab-i-Panja between Qala Panja and Ishkathim are open stretches of
level flood plain a few hundred feet long, and an unusually large
flat area at 36?52'N-72?11IE is hundreds of yards in both dinensions
and suitable for a small landing strip.
*The generic term namir means a narrow, flat-floored valley of
glacial formation that is no longer occupied by the glacier. Its
trough has been partly filled by glacial detritus. It remains flat-
surfaced because the main stream is too small to scour deeply.
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As far dm:wheats:tea its junction with the BYzyl Su (37?36T-
69?45'E) the Ab-i-Panja continues to flow through steep-walled val-
leys that have almost no floodplains. The hinterlands on either side
are steep and barren and poorly mapped. Below the BYgyl Su junction
the floodplain increases in width to about 2 miles at Aymadzh (Aiwana)
36?5841-68P03'B (see Figures 4 and 5) and west of Tormez it is several
miles vide. The whole valley from Hearst Imam (6e53'E) to Termez is
flat and sandy and easily covered by sentry observation (see Figures 6
and 7). The wide parts of the floodplain may be bordered on the south
by sandy clay, drift sand, or sand dunes broken by low hills. Except
in the extreme vest, the sand area is bounded sharply on its southern
margin by foothills that rise to elevations of 4,000-6,000 feet (see
Figure 7).
Except for the known and mapped lakes, practically all the area
is dry ground although it may be shifting sand in the vest and slippery
shale in the east. The few marshes are relatively small and probably
seasonal, being wettest in spring, dryest in late summer, and possibly
frozen in winter. East of Chubek in the rugged mountainous region,
there may be small swamps at drainage divides. On the Little and
Wakhan Pamirs in the eastern part of the Corridor, the large amounts
of glacial melt water make travel difficult but also produce abundant
grass for the animals. The confused drainage system of Chakmaktin
Lake and its associated smaller water bodies extends for miles. As
it leaves the mountains near ChUbek the ABU Darya splits into two
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Amu ryI