Two Tajik border guards were killed in a cross-border attack from Afghanistan, with Tajik authorities saying three assailants were shot dead during the exchange.
Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security has confirmed that two of its border guards were killed during an armed attack launched from Afghan territory, officials said on Thursday.
The committee said the clash occurred when attackers crossed fire from across the border, prompting an exchange in which three assailants were killed by Tajik forces.
Earlier, reports indicated that Tajik border guards had come under fire from positions inside Afghanistan. The attack was launched from Badakhshan’s Shahr-e-Buzurg district and Chah Ab district in Takhar province, officials said.
Tajikistan shares a long and porous border with Afghanistan, particularly across the northeastern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar. The region has long been vulnerable to militant infiltration, smuggling, and cross-border violence.
Security incidents along the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border have increased since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, prompting regional governments to strengthen border patrols and raise concerns about the presence of armed groups in northern Afghanistan.
Tajik authorities said the attackers were members of a terrorist organisation but did not disclose further details about their identities or affiliations.
The State Committee for National Security called on the Taliban leadership to apologise to the people of Tajikistan and to take effective measures to prevent attacks originating from Afghanistan soil.
The incident follows a previous cross-border attack in which five Chinese nationals were killed near the Tajikistan border after assailants reportedly crossed from Afghanistan. The Taliban had acknowledged that incident and said an investigation was under way.
