Russian border guards have killed four Afghans and one Tajik in a five-hour border clash.
Reports say a group of 16 Afghans were trying to cross into Tajikistan Saturday night with the help of seven Tajik accomplices waiting for them on their side of the Pyandzh River.
Russian guards detained six of the Tajiks during the battle. Reports indicate the remaining Afghans fled back to Afghanistan.
Four Russian soldiers were wounded in the fighting.
Tajikistan is a major transit point for drugs from Afghanistan, the world's top producer of heroin.