In the armed clash at the Tajik-Afghan border, two Tajik border guards and three Afghan militants were killed. According to authorities in Dushanbe, this is already the third attack on the country in a month, writes DW.
On the border of Tajikistan with Afghanistan on Wednesday, December 24, an armed clash occurred between Tajik border guards and three "terrorists who crossed into the country from Afghanistan," reported the Tajik state news agency "Khovar," publishing a statement from the press service of the country's border troops. According to the local branch of "Radio Free Europe," the shootout occurred with Afghan smugglers.
According to Tajik authorities, the militants crossed into the country on December 23 at 11:30 PM local time, and they were discovered the next morning at 11:15 AM. "The terrorists did not comply with the order of Tajik border guards to surrender and offered armed resistance. They intended to carry out an armed attack on one of the border posts," the press service of Tajikistan's border troops reported.
All three Afghan militants were killed in the shootout, as well as two Tajik border guards. The Afghans were found to have three M-16 rifles, an AK-47 assault rifle, three pistols with silencers, 10 hand grenades, a night vision scope, explosives, and other ammunition. The situation at the Afghan-Tajik border is currently "calm," the border guards report.
Tajikistan Opens 4 New Border Posts with Afghanistan
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon remotely participated in the opening of four border outposts on the border with Afghanistan on the day of the armed clash, as well as a tank training ground at the "Kharbmaydon" range, located 20 km from the border. The border outposts were built in a "high-altitude and difficult-to-access area" that "had not been properly secured before," stated the president's website.
Dushanbe: Third Armed Attack on Tajikistan in a Month
According to the Tajik border service, militants from Afghanistan have opened fire on the border for the third time in the past month. At the end of November, the country was shelled twice from Afghan territory. As a result, five Chinese citizens were killed, and another five were injured.
Tajik authorities accused the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan of "serious and repeated irresponsibility," as well as failing to fulfill international obligations and promises. Dushanbe is awaiting an apology from Kabul and additional measures to protect the border.
Leave a comment