Taliban pledge border cooperation after Tajik attacks kill 5 Chinese

The Taliban administration in Afghanistan has assured neighbouring Tajikistan that it is ready to tighten border security and carry out joint investigations, following attacks on Tajik soil that killed five Chinese nationals.

In a phone call with his Tajik counterpart, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi expressed regret over the incidents and pledged closer coordination between border forces, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

He described "joint measures against malicious elements" as a "pressing necessity."

"The Islamic Emirate is fully prepared to strengthen border security, conduct joint investigations, and engage in any form of coordination," Muttaqi said in a statement released by the Afghan foreign ministry. He added that "an atmosphere of trust" had recently developed between the two countries and should not be undermined.

Tajik authorities said two attacks in the past week, including one involving drones dropping grenades, had also left five Chinese workers injured. China’s embassy in Tajikistan confirmed the casualties and urged its citizens to leave the frontier area.

Following the incidents, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon ordered tighter border controls along the remote mountainous frontier. China is a major investor in Tajikistan, a Russia-aligned Central Asian nation of around 11 million people.

By Aghakazim Guliyev