The commander of the CIS peacekeeping forces in Tajikistan, Nikolay Pugachev, has said more than a-hundred soldiers and up to thirty officers have been killed in the Central Asian republic since being deployed there in 1993.

At a news conference in Dushanbe, Mr Pugachev said that, despite the casualties, there were no plans to change either the size or the structure of the force, which had helped the return of refugees and delivery of humanitarian aid.

Describing the force as fundamental to the Tajik peace process, the commander added that their presence would be needed for several more years.