Drones were launched from Afghan territory in Tajikistan on Wednesday. Tajikistan said that late on Wednesday night, a drone launched from Afghan territory targeted a camp in the Khatlon area, killing three Chinese workers. Tajikistan has appealed to the temporary Taliban administration in Kabul to take action to prevent further such incidents.
The target of the attack was the camp of employees of LLC Shohin SM Company, located in Yol Border Detachment, near 1st Border Guard Post Istiqlal. The Tajik Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) armed with grenades and weapons attacked the site. The department said in the statement, three Chinese citizens lost their lives in this attack carried out with drones equipped with weapons and grenades.
Attack on private gold mine
LLC Shohin SM is a private gold-mining company operating in the Shamsiddin Shohin district, near the border of Tajikistan and Afghanistan. This company is known for gold mining and its related activities.
Who was held responsible?
All three deceased were employees of that company and Chinese citizens. The Foreign Ministry claimed that ‘criminal groups’ operating inside Afghanistan were responsible for this attack. This attack has taken place at a time when the Taliban administration in Afghanistan is already under pressure from Islamabad to stop Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists operating from Kabul, who carry out attacks against Pakistan.
What appeal did Tajikistan make?
Dushanbe condemned the attack and appealed to the Afghan Taliban administration to take universal measures to ensure stability and security along the border. Many Chinese companies work in Tajikistan, especially in the mining and natural resources sectors. Which are often located in hilly border areas.
This mountainous border area extends for about 1,350 kilometers between the two countries. Last year too, a Chinese worker was killed in an attack near the Afghan border.
Tajikistan also carried out a drone attack
Chinese workers are engaged in mining and construction projects in Tajikistan. Incidents of tension have been coming to light from time to time near the border of Afghanistan. Tajikistan said that a week ago it had killed two alleged Afghan drug smugglers with a drone. In August, there was also firing between Tajik security guards and Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban forces.
At the same time, the drone attack took place at a time when a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was to be held – it is a regional organization. The leaders of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan held this summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. From time to time, Tajikistan has been demanding more help from this group in securing its long Afghan border.
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