The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Tajikistan says two of its border guards and three suspected militants were killed in an armed clash near the country’s border with Afghanistan, as Dushanbe urged the Taliban to take stronger measures to secure the shared frontier.
The State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan said
the incident occurred at around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 23, when a group
described by Tajik authorities as “terrorists” crossed from Afghanistan and
refused orders to surrender, opening fire on Tajik border forces.
In a statement carried by the state news agency Khovar, the
committee said all three attackers were killed during the operation. The two
Tajik border guards also died in the exchange of fire.
Tajik officials said the situation along the border has
since stabilized.
Following the incident, the Tajik border service called on
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to take additional and effective steps to
strengthen security along the shared border and prevent further incursions.
In a separate statement, Tajikistan’s State Committee for
National Security accused the Taliban of what it described as “serious and
repeated irresponsibility” in fulfilling their commitments to ensure border
security and combat members of terrorist organizations.
“The Taliban have repeatedly failed to uphold their
international obligations and their ongoing promises to ensure security and
stability along the border with the Republic of Tajikistan,” the committee
said, adding that it expects the Taliban to apologize to the people of
Tajikistan and implement effective measures to secure the frontier.
Meanwhile, the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) rejected media reports suggesting that Tajikistan had
requested military assistance following recent border incidents. The bloc said
it had received no such request from Dushanbe in connection with incidents
reported on Nov. 26 and Nov. 30.
