Four school leavers from Dushanbe who sought to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group have been detained at the Tajik-Afghan border in Khatlon province.  

“Four young men, aged 17 to 18, were detained while attempting to illegally crossing the Tajik-Afghan border.  As it turned out they had sought to join the ISIS terror group,” Muhabbat Abdullozoda, the chief of the Drug Control Agency (DCA)’s office in Kulob told reporters in Kulob on July 25.  

According to him, law enforcement officers learned that they want to join the ISIS group from their telephone conversations with representatives of the ISIS group in Afghanistan. 

Criminal proceedings against the detainees have been instituted under the provisions of Article 401’ (1) of Tajikistan’s Penal Code -- mercenary activities; an investigation is under way.