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Tajik service members participate in a military parade near the Afghanistan border in Khorog (Khorugh), Tajikistan. — Reuters/File
– Incidents along Tajikistan’s 1,350-kilometer border with Afghanistan are increasing.
– Attacks have resulted in the deaths of guards and Chinese workers.
– Tajikistan is calling on the Taliban to help control cross-border militancy.
Tajik officials announced Sunday that they “neutralized” four terrorists who had crossed from neighboring Afghanistan, in an area where recent weeks have seen a surge in deadly events, according to state media reports.
Located in Central Asia, Tajikistan shares a rugged, mountainous border with Afghanistan and maintains strained relations with the Afghan Taliban government.
Sources in Tajik security services, as reported by the state news agency Khovar, said that “four terrorists were neutralized” after refusing to lay down their weapons in the southern Khatlon region.
Since November, Tajikistan’s border has witnessed at least five deadly incidents along its lengthy, mountainous frontier—stretching roughly 840 miles (1,350 kilometers). An AFP tally, based on official figures, reports a total of 16 deaths, including Tajik border guards, Chinese nationals, and individuals Tajik authorities label as “smugglers” and “terrorists.”
In response to attacks targeting Chinese citizens in November, Tajik authorities urged the Taliban to implement measures to stabilize the volatile border zone, where traffickers and militant groups are active.
While other Central Asian leaders are deepening ties with the Taliban, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon—who has held power since 1992—publicly criticizes Afghanistan’s authorities and urges respect for the rights of ethnic Tajiks, who represent about a quarter of Afghanistan’s population.
Despite his criticisms, Tajikistan is also taking steps towards cooperation with Kabul through initiatives like electricity supplies, opening border markets, and holding meetings between Taliban officials and local authorities.
Relations deteriorated further after five Chinese nationals were killed and several wounded in attacks along the Tajik-Afghan border in late November and early December. A UN report from December highlighted that a militant group, Jamaat Ansarullah, has fighters operating across various Afghan regions with the primary objective of destabilizing Tajikistan.
Tajik authorities have expressed concerns about the presence of Daesh fighters in Afghanistan’s Khorasan region.
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