DUSHANBE – Three Chinese workers were killed in southern Tajikistan after a cross-border assault launched from Afghanistan, Tajik authorities confirmed on Thursday.
The attack targeted employees of a Chinese company operating near the remote border and involved both firearms and a drone carrying grenades.
“The attack, carried out with firearms and a drone loaded with grenades, claimed the lives of three Chinese employees,” the Tajik foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that criminal groups based in neighbouring Afghanistan continue to commit acts aimed at destabilising the border regions. Militants operate across the rugged 1,350-kilometre (840-mile) frontier separating Tajikistan from Afghanistan.
Tensions between Dushanbe and the Taliban-led government in Kabul have remained high since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. President Emomali Rahmon, in power since 1992, has frequently criticised the Taliban and urged the group to respect the rights of ethnic Tajiks in Afghanistan, who make up an estimated quarter of the country’s 40 million population.
Several Chinese companies operate in Tajikistan’s remote mining and natural resource sectors, often in sensitive border regions. Last year, a similar attack near the Afghan border claimed the life of one Chinese worker, raising further concerns over the safety of foreign investors.
