Officials in Tajikistan and Afghanistan say the main highway connecting the two countries across their mountainous border has been closed for several days.
Police confirm a number of young women have appealed for help after private pics, contact details turn up on tawdry websites.
Tajik lawmakers have approved legislation that obliges individuals and organizations "to stick to traditional and national clothes and culture," a move widely seen as an effort to discourage people from wearing the hijab and Islamic clothing.
Tajikistan on August 8 accused Iran of backing high-profile killings in the wake of the Central Asian country's 1990s civil war, including the assassination of former parliament chairman Safarali Kenjaev in 1999.
