Tajikistan Condemns Border Attacks; Rahmon Warns Taliban After 5 Deaths on Frontier

DID Press: President of Tajikistan described recent attacks originating from Afghan territory as “illegal and provocative,” ordering the immediate strengthening of border security and calling on the Taliban government to take concrete measures to restrain armed groups. These attacks, which have left at least five dead and five wounded over the past week, have once again escalated security tensions along the two countries’ shared border.

The Tajik presidential press office announced on Monday, (Dec.1), that Emomali Rahmon, following the recent cross-border attacks from Afghanistan, met with senior security officials and instructed them to implement stricter measures to prevent such incidents from recurring.

These attacks, which occurred over the past week, have heightened concerns about the presence of armed groups and smuggling networks along the shared border. Tajikistan has for years warned about the infiltration of drug traffickers and illegal mining groups in the border regions and maintains a tense relationship with the Taliban authorities.

Additionally, three Chinese nationals were killed in a drone attack launched on 26 November from Afghan territory on the camp of a Chinese company in Khatlon Province. The Tajik Embassy in Kuwait confirmed the incident, stating that militant groups based in Afghanistan were responsible and that their cross-border activities continue. The embassy called on the Taliban government to take urgent action to control these threats.

The Chinese Embassy in Dushanbe also confirmed the deaths of three employees of a company operating in Khatlon, along with the injury of one more person, emphasizing that a transparent and swift investigation must be carried out. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressing concern over the safety of its citizens and economic projects abroad, warned Chinese nationals to avoid border regions.

Pakistan likewise issued a statement calling the attacks “regrettable” and condemned them. Meanwhile, the Taliban government has yet to issue an official response—a silence that could further complicate Kabul–Dushanbe relations and intensify China’s concerns about the security of its investments in Central Asia.