Taliban on Friday condemned a deadly attack on three Chinese nationals in southern Tajikistan and pledged to cooperate with Tajik authorities to identify those responsible, saying the assailants aim to destabilize the region and sow mistrust among neighboring countries.
In a statement, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry said they believe the attack was carried out by elements seeking to undermine regional stability. “This incident was perpetrated by groups active in the region with the goal of spreading insecurity, instability, and mistrust among neighboring states,” the ministry said.
Tajik authorities said the three Chinese citizens were killed in the Khatlon Province in a cross-border attack that involved small arms and a drone carrying grenades. The Tajik Foreign Ministry said the strike targeted a work camp operated by LLC Shaheen SM, a Chinese company active near the Yol border post, in a mountainous area adjacent to Afghanistan.
While Tajikistan stopped short of naming a specific group responsible, officials claimed the attack originated from Afghan territory and accused “criminal groups based in Afghanistan” of continuing to engage in destabilizing actions along the border, despite Tajik efforts to bolster security in the region.
The incident occurred along the Tajik-Afghan border, a stretch of more than 1,350 kilometers that officials in Dushanbe have long described as one of Central Asia’s most volatile frontiers due to the presence of armed groups and smuggling networks.
Taliban, who returned to power in 2021, have faced repeated accusations from Tajik officials of harboring or failing to prevent militant activity along the border.
The Taliban-run foreign ministry said they were ready to cooperate fully with Tajikistan, including offering intelligence sharing, joint investigations, and technical assistance.
“The Islamic Emirate assures its readiness to collaborate fully with Tajikistan in identifying the perpetrators of this incident,” the statement said.
Tajikistan has issued several warnings since 2021 about what it sees as a growing threat emanating from across the border, particularly from extremist or armed groups operating in northern Afghanistan.
The victims of the attack were part of China’s growing economic footprint in Tajikistan, where Chinese companies are heavily involved in infrastructure and mining projects, especially in remote mountain regions near the Afghan frontier. Last year, another Chinese worker was killed in a similar attack in the same region.
