By The South Asia Times 

DUSHANBE — At least two Tajik soldiers were killed and three militants neutralized in a latest cross‑border attack originating from Afghanistan, Tajikistan’s Border Troops said on Thursday.

According to a statement from the Press Center of the Border Troops of the State Committee for National Security  of Tajikistan, the militants who entered from Afghanistan on Tuesday night, refused orders to surrender and engaged in combat with Tajik border guards early on Wednesday. Despite efforts to neutralize the threat, two Tajik servicemen — Navruzbekov Zirehbon Naghzibekovich and Qurbonov Ismatullo Ghulomovich — were killed in the clash. 

Border forces subsequently located and eliminated all three attackers, seizing multiple weapons, explosives, night-vision devices, and other military equipment.

At present, the situation along the state border is described as calm, and investigations into the incident continue, it said in the statement.

-Tajikistan Cites Repeated Cross-Border Incidents

Tajik authorities noted this is at least the third serious border incident in the past month involving armed incursions, crossing of the state border from Afghanistan, and fatal outcomes for civilians and security personnel. 

In its statement, Dushanbe sharply criticized the Taliban regime in Kabul, declaring that repeated cross-border attacks demonstrate a failure by Taliban fulfill “international obligations and repeated commitments to ensure security and stability along the Tajik border.”

The Tajik authorities called on the leadership of the Taliban regime to issue an apology to the people of Tajikistan and to take more effective measures to secure the border. 

• Previous Attacks that Killed Chinese Nationals

Security concerns along the Tajik–Afghan frontier have escalated in recent weeks. Tajikistan reported two deadly cross-border attacks originating from Afghanistan in late November and early December 2025, which together claimed the lives of five Chinese nationals working in Tajikistan. 

26 November 2025: A drone-equipped assault hit a workers’ camp operated by the Chinese company Shohin-SM in the Shamsiddin Shohin district of Khatlon Region, killing three Chinese workers and wounding one more. Authorities reported the attack involved a drone carrying explosives launched from Afghan territory. 

30 November 2025: Militants infiltrated from the Afghan village of Ruzvayak into the Darvoz district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region and opened fire on Chinese workers employed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation, killing two Chinese nationals and injuring two others. 

Following these attacks, China’s embassy in Dushanbe advised Chinese citizens and companies to evacuate border areas due to security risks.

- Regional Diplomatic Tension and Security Cooperation Efforts

The deadly assaults have strained ties between Tajikistan and its neighbors, prompting talks with regional partners about enhanced border security. 

While Tajikistan said that continued incursions by armed groups across the border — whether targeting its soldiers or foreign workers — remain a serious security threat and a violation of Tajik sovereignty