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Five Chinese nationals have been killed and five others injured in Tajikistan in recent attacks launched from neighboring Afghanistan over the past week, according to Tajik authorities and China’s embassy in the country. The embassy in Dushanbe has advised Chinese businesses and personnel to evacuate the border region immediately.
They reported that Chinese citizens were targeted in an armed assault near the Afghan border on Sunday. Additionally, a separate attack on Friday resulted in three Chinese deaths, with Tajik officials claiming it involved drone strikes dropping grenades.
Tajikistan, a mountainous, secular republic with a population of roughly 11 million, maintains tense relations with Taliban authorities in Afghanistan. The country has previously raised concerns about drug traffickers and illegal gold miners operating along its remote frontier.
China, which shares a mountainous border with Tajikistan, is a key investor in the region. There has been no immediate response from Afghan authorities to Tajikistan’s statements on Monday. However, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry last week blamed an unidentified group seeking to destabilize the area and said it is willing to cooperate with Tajik officials.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon’s team met with security chiefs on Monday to review border security measures. Rahmon strongly condemned the provocative acts by Afghan citizens and ordered decisive actions to address the situation and prevent further incidents.
Historically, Tajikistan experienced a violent civil war in the 1990s after gaining independence from the Soviet Union. During this period, Rahmon rose to power. The nation remains closely aligned with Russia, which maintains a military base there.
Millions of Tajiks, a Persian-speaking people, live across the border in Afghanistan, and Tajikistan has traditionally supported Afghan Tajiks opposed to the Taliban.
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