5 Killed in Tajikistan-Afghanistan Border Clash as Dushanbe Blames Taliban

Gunfire has shattered the holiday quiet along the Tajik-Afghan border. A deadly firefight between Tajik border guards and armed intruders from Afghanistan has left five people dead, escalating tensions in the volatile Central Asian region. Tajikistan's border agency has issued a sharp rebuke, blaming the Taliban government for failing to secure its side of the border.

The Border Firefight

According to a statement from the Tajik border protection agency, published by the Khovar news agency, the incident began on Tuesday when heavily armed raiders crossed into the Shamsiddin Shokhin district. The intruders were located on Wednesday and refused orders to surrender, instead offering armed resistance.

The agency said the group attacked a guard post, killing two border guards. Three of the intruders died in the ensuing gun battle. Authorities reported securing a significant cache of weapons at the scene, including M-16 rifles, a Kalashnikov assault rifle, pistols with silencers, hand grenades, and a night-vision scope.

Accusations Against the Taliban

The Tajik government claims this is the third such incident in recent weeks, which have resulted in the deaths of Tajik border guards and civilians, including Chinese citizens working for a regional mining company.

The statement condemned what it called “the Taliban government’s failure to fulfil their international obligations" to ensure border security and combat terrorist groups. The agency said it expected an apology from the Afghan leadership and vowed to defend its territorial integrity by all means. As of now, Afghanistan has not commented on the incident.