Two Tajik border guards were killed in an armed clash with militants who crossed from Afghanistan into Tajikistan, the country’s State Committee for National Security said.
In a statement carried by Khovar, Tajikistan’s state news agency, on Thursday, the committee said three members of a terrorist organisation crossed the Afghan border and entered Tajik territory in the Shamsiddin Shohin district.
According to the statement, Tajik border guards located the militants inside Tajikistan at 11:15 a.m. on 24 December and launched an operation against them.
The committee said the militants ignored orders to surrender and opened fire. They were attempting to carry out an armed attack on one of the border posts of the Border Forces of the State Committee for National Security but were killed in a shootout.
The identities of the three militants and the name of the terrorist organisation to which they belonged have not been disclosed.
The committee said weapons and ammunition were seized from the militants.
The State Committee for National Security said this was the third armed attack, terrorist act or illegal border crossing from Afghanistan into Tajikistan in the past month that resulted in the deaths of military personnel.
Call for Taliban Apology
The committee said the repeated attacks over the past month demonstrate what it described as the Taliban administration’s serious and repeated irresponsibility in fulfilling its international commitments and its assurances to ensure security and stability along the Tajik–Afghan border and to combat terrorist organisations.
Tajik border forces said they hope the Taliban leadership will apologise to the people of Tajikistan and take effective measures to ensure security along the shared border.
The Border Forces of the State Committee for National Security said they possess full physical and combat capabilities to safeguard the country’s borders.
The statement said Tajik border guards will continue to defend the country’s frontiers with full force against external aggression and will respond decisively to terrorist groups, smugglers and any attempts to cross the border from Afghanistan.
According to the committee, the situation along the Tajikistan–Afghanistan border is currently calm, and investigations into the clash are continuing.
The press office of the president of Tajikistan confirmed in the month in November that five people were killed and five others wounded in two attacks launched from Afghanistan. Following those incidents, President Emomali Rahmon ordered security agencies to assess the situation and explore ways to strengthen border security.
Tajikistan was among the critics of the Taliban administration following the group’s return to power but has recently expanded its relations with Kabul and moved towards greater engagement.
