The State Border Service (SBS) (, DSG) also commonly known by its paramilitary force as the Turkmen Border Troops () is a

border guard A border guard of a country is a national security agency that ensures border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Germany, Italy or Ukraine) and rescue service duties. Name and uniform In diff ...

agency of the

Armed Forces of Turkmenistan The Armed Forces of Turkmenistan (), known informally as the Turkmen National Army () is the national military of Turkmenistan. It consists of the Turkmen Ground Forces, Ground Forces, the Turkmen Air Force, Air Force and Air Defense Forces, Tur ...

. It is currently a public service department of the government of the country and is under the command of the Ministry for National Security of Turkmenistan.

History

The service was established on 11 August 1992, by order of President

Saparmyrat Nyýazow Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov (19 February 1940 – 21 December 2006) was a Turkmenistani politician who led Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was the Secretary (title), first secretary of the Communist Party of Turkmenist ...

, on the basis of the

Soviet Border Troops The Soviet Border Troops () were the border guard of the Soviet Union, subordinated to the Soviet state security agency: first to the ''Cheka''/State Political Directorate, OGPU, then to NKVD/Ministry for State Security (USSR), MGB and, final ...

in the Turkestan Military District. Until 1997, the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan included the Border Troops of the Ministry of Defense, which were then transformed into the State Border Service. It cooperated with Russian border guards who remained in country until 1999 as a result of a joint Russian–Turkmen agreement on the protection of the state border of

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

, which was signed in 1993. It slowly evolved to meet the standards of its counterparts, with the DSG being allowed to inspect goods and other items transported across the border of

in April 1998. At the end of 2001, 3 new border detachments were created, with 2 (in Kushka and Köýtendag), being intensified the cover of the Afghan border to prevent

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

fighters from taking refuge in the country during the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

. Recently, the service created a separate naval border patrol division stationed in Türkmenbaşy. In 2014, there were several incidents for the service along the Afghanistan–Turkmenistan border, including one in February when Turkmen border guards killed a militant who crossed the border illegally and in retaliation three Turkmen border guards were killed later that month. Later that May, three Turkmen guards were killed by an armed group crossing the border from

Ghormach District Ghormach () is a district situated in the north of Badghis Province, Afghanistan. The district centre is Ghormach. Demographics The estimated population of Ghormach District in 2003 was roughly 52,566. Based upon the Ministry of Rural Rehabilita ...

, Afghanistan.

Responsibilities

The main tasks of the service include the following: * Protecting of the national border of the country * Combating

international terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war ag ...

and drug trafficking * Targeting illegal migration and

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

* Protecting oil and gas platforms and pipelines in the Turkmen sector of the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

. The head of the service is a member of the Council of Border Guard Commanders of the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization, regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an ar ...

(CIS).

Structure

* Central Office * Border Troops ** Headquarters of the Border Troops of Turkmenistan *** Atamurat Border Detachment **** Border Outpost "Syakhralyk" ***

Ashgabat Ashgabat (Turkmen language, Turkmen: ''Aşgabat'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag, Kopetdag mountain range in Central Asia, approximately 50 km (30 ...

Border Detachment **** Border Outpost "Archabil" **** Border Outpost "Asuda" **** Border Outpost "Bagir" **** Border Outpost "Bitaraplyk" **** Border Outpost "Vatan" **** Border Outpost "Gindivar" ***

Balkanabat Balkanabat (), formerly Nebit-Dag and Neftedag, is the administrative centre of Balkan Province, the largest province in Turkmenistan. It lies at the foot of the Balkan Daglary mountain range. Balkanabat is about 450 km west of Ashgabat a ...

Training Border Detachment *** Bakharly Border Detachment *** Garabogaz Border Detachment *** Dashoguz Border Detachment *** Kaakhki Border Detachment **** Border Outpost "Aksuv" **** Border Outpost "Yashlyk" *** Makhtumkuli Border Detachment ***

Serakhs Sarahs (, also written Saraghs, Serahs, Sarakhs, Saragt, or Serakhs, the last a backformation of ) is an oasis city in Ahal Province, Turkmenistan, and the administrative center of Sarahs district (). It is located at latitude 36°31' North; lon ...

Border Detachment **** Border Outpost "Incirli" ***

Serhetabat Serhetabat (formerly Gushgy) (; , Kushka) is a city in Tagtabazar District, Mary Province, southernTurkmenistan. Serhetabat lies in the valley of the Kushk River. The population was 5,200 in 1991. It is immediately opposite Torghundi, Afghani ...

Border Detachment **** Border Outpost "Medesan" *** Takhtabazar Border Detachment **** Border Outpost "Watanchi" **** Border Outpost "Garavulkhana" **** Border Outpost "Murghab" **** Border Outpost "Pendy" *** Turkmenabat Border Detachment *** Esenguly Border Detachment *** Etrek Border Detachment ***

Border Detachment *** Separate Maritime Border Guard Detachment ( Türkmenbaşy) *** 17th Separate Border Aviation Regiment (

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

) * Music Group "Border Sounds" * Turkmen Alabai Center * Turkmen State Border Service Institute

Breastplate "Valiant Border Guard"

The Breastplate "Valiant Border Guard" is the state medal designed to honour members of the DSG. It consists of medals in both the first and second degrees. It has the shape of a regular green octagon, which is one of the main elements of the State

Emblem of Turkmenistan The State Emblem of Turkmenistan was created after Turkmenistan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Like other post-Soviet republics whose symbols do not predate the October Revolution, the current emblem retains some components o ...

, inscribed in an circle with a diameter of 40 mm. It was created on 20 December 2005.

Leadership

* Colonel General Akmurad Kabulov (1992 – 1999) * Major General Tirkish Tyrmyev * Major General Agageldi Mammetgeldiyev (2002 – 2003) * Major General Annageldy Gummanov (2003) * Major General Annaur Atzhanov (2003 – 2004) * Lieutenant General Orazberdy Soltanov (2014 – 2006) * Major General Bayram Alovov (2006 – 2009) * Lieutenant General Myrat Islamov (2009 – 2012) * Major General Aman Garayev (2012 – 2013) * Lieutenant General Myrat Islamov (2013 – 2016) * Major General Begenç Gündogdyýew (2016 – 2018) * Colonel Shadurdy Durdyyev (2018 – 2021) * Colonel Ýazgeldi Bäşimowiç Nuryýew (2021–present)

References

{{Border guards