Five people, including two Tajik border guards, were killed after armed men crossed from Afghanistan and attacked a post near Kavo in Shamsiddin Shokhin district. Tajik authorities recovered a large weapons cache, including M-16s, a Kalashnikov, silenced pistols, grenades and explosives. The border agency blamed the Taliban government for failing to secure the frontier and said it expected an apology; Afghanistan had not commented. Officials warned Tajikistan would defend its territory amid ongoing cross-border security challenges and drug trafficking.
Five Killed in Border Gunfight After Armed Raiders Cross From Afghanistan Into Tajikistan
Tajik authorities say five people were killed after a firefight between border guards and armed intruders who crossed from Afghanistan into Tajikistan near the village of Kavo in Shamsiddin Shokhin district.
According to a statement from the Tajik border protection agency published by state news outlet Khovar, heavily armed fighters crossed the frontier on Tuesday and were located by security personnel on Wednesday. The agency said the intruders attacked a border post, killing two Tajik guards; three of the attackers were killed in the ensuing exchange of gunfire.
Border forces recovered a substantial cache of weapons and equipment at the scene, the statement said, including three M-16 rifles, one Kalashnikov assault rifle, three foreign-made pistols fitted with silencers, 10 hand grenades, additional grenades, explosives, a night-vision scope and other ammunition.
“The terrorists refused to obey orders from Tajik border guards to surrender and offered armed resistance. They intended to carry out an armed attack on one of the border posts of the Border Troops of the State Committee for National Security of the Republic of Tajikistan,”
The agency described the clash as the third deadly confrontation in recent weeks in which Tajik border guards and civilians have been killed. It also said Chinese nationals working for a regional mining company have been among previous victims.
In a strongly worded passage, the statement blamed the Taliban administration in Kabul for “failing to fulfil their international obligations” to secure the shared border, and said Tajikistan expected an apology from Afghan authorities. Afghanistan had not publicly commented on the incident at the time the agency released its statement.
Officials reiterated that Tajikistan will defend its territorial integrity against “terrorists and smugglers” by all available means. The statement also noted broader security challenges along the largely unsecured 1,340 km (830-mile) Tajik-Afghan border, where drug trafficking is common. Russian forces are stationed in Tajikistan and have previously taken part in joint exercises with Tajik units aimed at strengthening border security.
