Web Desk (MNN); At least three Chinese nationals working for a private company in Tajikistan were killed in an attack originating from Afghanistan near the shared border, Tajik authorities confirmed on Thursday.
According to the foreign ministry, the assault involved gunfire and a drone fitted with grenades, striking workers in the country’s southern region. No group has been officially blamed yet, and Dushanbe offered no indication of who might be responsible.
The incident comes amid rising border tensions between Tajikistan and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, where clashes have frequently erupted in recent months. Militants have long been active in the mountainous border strip, which stretches over 1,350 kilometres.
Tajikistan, one of the poorest states of the former Soviet Union, has been increasingly wary of extremist spillover since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
President Emomali Rakhmon, who has been in office since 1992, remains openly critical of the Taliban and continues to urge them to safeguard the rights of ethnic Tajiks—estimated to make up around one-quarter of Afghanistan’s population.
Despite tensions, both sides have maintained limited engagement through diplomatic channels, cross-border markets and electricity supply arrangements.
The foreign ministry once again voiced concern over instability, stating that criminal groups based across the border continue operations aimed at destabilising the region.
Chinese companies are widely involved in Tajikistan’s mining and resource sectors, many of which are located near the Afghan frontier. A similar attack last year also claimed the life of a Chinese worker in the same region.
