Attack launched from Afghanistan kills 3 Chinese Workers on Tajik Border

Three Chinese workers were killed in Tajikistan after an armed attack launched from Afghan territory. Tajik authorities confirmed the incident on Thursday and called it a serious threat to border security.

According to officials, the attack happened in the southern part of Tajikistan, close to the Afghan border. Relations between Tajikistan and the Taliban government have already been tense, and several clashes have taken place in recent months.

The Tajik foreign ministry said the attackers used a drone and firearms. The drone carried grenades that exploded inside a camp where workers of a Chinese company were staying.

In its statement, the ministry said, “The attack, carried out with firearms and a drone loaded with grenades, claimed the lives of three employees of Chinese nationality.”

Tajikistan did not directly name the group behind the attack. However, militant organisations linked to extremist networks are active in the mountainous region that stretches roughly 1,350 kilometres along the border.

Tajikistan, a Muslim-majority and one of the poorest former Soviet states, has been increasingly worried about the rise of militant movements since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021.

President Emomali Rahmon has long been critical of the Taliban leadership. He has repeatedly urged them to respect the rights of ethnic Tajiks, who make up nearly one-quarter of Afghanistan’s population.
Despite this criticism, both countries have held limited diplomatic meetings, opened trade routes, and cooperated in some border towns.

The foreign ministry warned that “criminal groups located inside Afghanistan continue activities that destabilise the border region.”

China has a strong economic presence in Tajikistan, especially in mining and natural resource projects located near remote border areas.
Last year, another Chinese worker was also killed in a similar cross-border attack.