Deadly border clash leaves five dead along Tajikistan-Afghanistan frontier

Five people were killed during an armed confrontation on the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, Tajik state media reported on Thursday.

According to a statement from the Border Troops of Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security, three individuals crossed into Tajik territory late Tuesday in the Shamsiddin Shohin district of the southwestern Khatlon region and were located the following day.

The statement said the intruders ignored orders from Tajik border guards to surrender and opened fire, allegedly planning an attack on a border post. Tajik forces responded with a combat operation in which all three assailants were killed. Two Tajik border officers also lost their lives in the exchange.

Authorities described the incident as the third armed border crossing and attempted attack originating from Afghanistan in the past month. The statement accused Afghan authorities of failing to meet international commitments to maintain security along the shared border and called for stronger measures to prevent future incidents.

Tajik officials said they expect the Afghan administration to take responsibility and improve border security. Afghanistan has not issued an immediate response.

Earlier this month, Tajikistan reported that five people were killed and five injured in two similar cross-border attacks. On Wednesday, President Emomali Rahmon inaugurated four new border outposts and a tank training facility near the frontier as part of efforts to strengthen security amid rising concerns over cross-border violence.