ISLAMABAD:
An armed attack launched from inside Afghanistan killed three Chinese employees working at a project site in Tajikistan’s Khatlon region late on Wednesday night, prompting Dushanbe to issue a sharp condemnation and call on Kabul to curb cross-border militancy.
According to Tajikistan’s foreign ministry statement, in Kuwait the assault targeted the camp of LLC Shohin SM near the 1st Border Guard Post “Istiqlol” of the “Yol” Border Detachment and was carried out using an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with grenades and firearms.
The Tajik government said the incident marked a dangerous escalation in tactics used by criminal groups operating across the frontier. It noted that the attack occurred despite its consistent efforts to maintain security and promote an atmosphere of peace and stability in the border areas shared with Afghanistan.
The statement stressed that such disruptive actions continue to undermine security and unsettle communities living along the sensitive boundary between the two neighbouring countries.
Officials confirmed that three Chinese nationals employed by the company were killed in the strike, a development likely to raise concerns for foreign workers, involved in infrastructure and construction projects across the region, where security threats have persisted for years.
Expressing deep concern, Tajikistan strongly condemned the attack and urged the ruling authorities in Afghanistan to take effective and concrete measures to ensure stability and security along the shared frontier, warning that continued inaction would only increase instability in the border belt.
The statement reiterated that Dushanbe expects Kabul to uphold its responsibilities in safeguarding the state border, arguing that durable peace in the region is possible only if armed groups operating inside Afghanistan are restrained and prevented from launching such assaults.
