Turkmenistan (AP) – Turkmenistan says the Iranians who were shot by border guards in the Caspian Sea were trying to smuggle in narcotics.
Iran’s semi-official ILNA news agency said two fishermen were killed and two others detained in the Tuesday incident.
But the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said Friday that they were smuggling in « a large consignment » of narcotics.
The Turkmen statement said the smugglers were in Turkmen waters and did not submit to border guards’ commands, after which « violent methods of coercion were applied. » It did not state a casualty toll.
Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia share the Caspian Sea, which is a lucrative source of oil, gas and caviar.
SOURCE
AVISEUR INTERNATIONAL 