Two Afghan Nationals Killed in Clash With Tajik Border Guards

DID Press: Tajik authorities say two Afghan nationals were killed in an armed clash with the country’s border guards in the Fathabad area of Khatlon region, along the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border.

Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security said the two men were residents of Imam Sahib district in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province and had illegally entered Tajik territory while allegedly being involved in a suspected drug-trafficking operation.

According to Tajik authorities, the men ignored orders to surrender and responded with armed resistance, prompting border forces to open fire. Both were killed in the ensuing confrontation.

Tajik security forces reportedly recovered 17 kilograms of hashish, a Kalashnikov rifle, a Makarov pistol and two backpacks from the scene.

Authorities have opened criminal investigations into alleged large-scale drug trafficking, illegal border crossing, illegal migration and unlawful possession of firearms.

The identities of the two men and the exact time of the incident have not been disclosed, while investigations remain underway. The Taliban has not yet issued an official comment.

The incident comes amid repeated warnings from Tajik authorities over drug trafficking from Afghanistan across the countries’ nearly 1,400-km border. According to Tajik anti-narcotics authorities, security forces seized more than 1.5 tonnes of narcotics along the Afghan border during the first six months of 2026.