According to information received by the radio station "Ozodi," two Tajik officers were killed in a shootout — 28-year-old Ismatullo Kurbanov and 33-year-old Zirebon Navruzbekov, both from the military unit "Sarychashma." The report from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also states that they "were wounded and died while performing their official duties" during a confrontation with Afghan smugglers.
There are also reports of a possible death of a Tajik soldier, but the information has not yet been confirmed. One source told Radio Free Europe that "several people were killed by smugglers, and one was arrested." Other sources claim that there were a total of eight smugglers, four of whom managed to escape.
The Kabul newspaper "Hashti Subh" also reported that "as a result of shelling from the territory of Afghanistan, two Tajik border guards were killed." In return fire, according to the publication, two armed men were killed, whom one source identified as drug traffickers, but their identities have not yet been established.
The incident occurred on the same day that Tajikistan opened four new checkpoints on the border with Afghanistan. President Emomali Rahmon, along with the heads of law enforcement agencies, participated in the opening ceremony in an online format.
The new border posts were built in mountainous and hard-to-reach areas that previously lacked proper protection. It is reported that over the past few years, 80 checkpoints have been established along the Tajik-Afghan border, thanks to cooperation with various international organizations and countries. A training ground for tank crews was also opened on a Tajik military facility near the border on December 24.
The length of Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan is nearly 1,400 kilometers. Despite the Taliban's assurances that Afghan territory will not be used by terrorist groups, the Tajik side expresses concern about the situation on the other side of the border, where, in their opinion, drug traffickers and militants operate.
As a result of two recent attacks from Afghan territory on the areas of Shamsiddin-Shohin and Darvoz, ten Chinese workers were killed and injured. Among them were employees of a gold mining company and road construction. Tajikistan condemned these attacks as terrorist acts, and China called for a thorough investigation of the incidents.
