Uzbekistan has strengthened patrols along its border with Afghanistan in an effort to prevent large numbers of potential asylum-seekers from entering, Central Asian observers say. Fears of a migration crisis engulfing Afghanistan have risen in recent weeks after the military forces of the Islamic Taliban movement began threatening northern areas of Afghanistan, regions traditionally dominated by ethnic Uzbek and Tajik warlords. Several hundred people, mostly ethnic Uzbeks, have already been intercepted while attempting to flee from Afghanistan into Uzbekistan. Some Central Asian observers say that heavy fighting in northern Afghanistan could displace tens of thousands of people. Such an event would threaten the stability of neighboring states, including Uzbekistan, which are unprepared to handle such an influx. Meanwhile, a peace deal in war-ravaged Tajikistan improves the chances of that Central Asian country avoiding a humanitarian emergency. The Tajik government and opposition Islamic forces reached agreement March 8 on a power-sharing blueprint. Under the plan, opposition military forces would be fully incorporated into the Tajik army by mid-1998. If implemented as envisioned, the plan would foster political stability, facilitating the return of 30,000 internally displaced persons, as well as thousands of Tajik refugees now living in northern Afghanistan.