Global, Regional Rivalries Drive Insecurity along Tajikistan-Afghanistan Border

DID Press: Political analyst Hashim Nikvarz warned that global and regional rivalries, particularly west’s efforts to limit China’s influence in Central Asia, are fueling insecurity along the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border.

Nikvarz noted that recent attacks targeting Chinese nationals in Tajikistan’s Darwaz region and Shamsuddin Shahin area, which left five Chinese citizens dead, were carried out from inside Afghanistan territory. He emphasized that these incidents are closely linked to broader geopolitical competition.

He also highlighted longstanding tensions in the border regions over natural resources and mining, which sometimes escalate into clashes and gunfire between border forces of the two countries.

Nikvarz stressed that the Taliban is keen to avoid harming relations with neighboring states and has condemned the attacks while offering cooperation with Tajik authorities to investigate the incidents.

He concluded that China’s economic policies have strengthened its influence in Central Asia, while the West, particularly the U.S., is working to curb the expanding influence of China and Russia in the region—a dynamic that, if unchecked, could have serious implications for regional security and inter-state relations.