Tajikistan’s foreign minister, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, held a phone call with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to discuss security along the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border following a deadly attack that killed three Chinese nationals last week, the Taliban foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the ministry said the two sides discussed “political relations, economic cooperation, border conditions, security coordination and regional initiatives.” According to the Taliban, Muttaqi told Muhriddin that unspecified “circles” were attempting to undermine relations between Dushanbe and the Taliban administration.
Muttaqi condemned last week’s attack in Tajikistan’s Khatlon region, which Tajik authorities say was carried out from Afghanistan’s territory using a grenade-carrying drone and small-arms fire. The Taliban said they had conducted a preliminary assessment and were ready to cooperate with Tajikistan on any investigation.
The ministry said Muhriddin expressed support for continued border cooperation, though Tajikistan has not publicly commented on the call. Tajik authorities have blamed “criminal groups based in Afghanistan” for the attack on the Shahin SM LLC workers’ camp near the Esteqlol border post, where three Chinese workers were killed and another wounded.
The incident marked the first reported drone and gun attack from Afghan territory into Tajikistan. The Khatlon region, in southwestern Tajikistan, borders Afghanistan along a 420-km stretch of what is widely regarded as one of Central Asia’s most insecure frontiers due to the presence of armed groups and smuggling networks.
China, a major investor in Tajikistan’s mining and infrastructure sectors, urged its citizens to leave the area immediately after the attack.
This comes after a 14-member delegation from Tajikistan visited Kabul last month, a first visit by Tajik authorities after the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021.
