#Tajikistan

A firefight on the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border has left five people dead, including two Tajik guards. Dushanbe has blamed the Taliban for failing to secure the border, increasing regional tensions.

A 10-year-old Tajik boy was killed in a Moscow school on Dec. 16. As Russian officials ignore evidence of ethnic motives, the attack highlights a growing crisis of xenophobia in the country.