Afghan media reported a clash on the border between Tajik border guards and Taliban militants, as a result of which one Taliban was killed and four others were injured. According to reports, after the collision, the border guards of the two countries met and held talks.
The Afghan news agency Shana reported that the clash took place on August 24 in the Dovang border district of the Afghan province of Badakhshan, which borders the Shamsiddin Shokhin district of the Khatlon region of Tajikistan.
According to the source, the reason for the conflict was the promotion of Chinese mining companies and the destruction of the Panj riverbed.
"After the Taliban came to Dovang for mining, they faced a fierce response from Tajik border guards. As a result of the clash, in which heavy weapons were also used, one Taliban was killed and four were injured," the newspaper writes.
The media did not receive any comments from the Tajik authorities or the Taliban on the incident.
At the same time, the Afghanistan International news agency published a video of a meeting and negotiations between representatives of Tajikistan and the Taliban, noting that Tajik border guards met with the Taliban in Dovang county in the Shahribuzurg district of the Afghan province of Badakhshan.
The meeting participants discussed the activities of mining companies near the Panj River. At the same time, the parties accused each other of providing asylum to opponents of the authorities and their training in the Afghan and Tajik territories.
The source reported that the Taliban was represented by Shafiqullah Hafizi, the head of the Taliban's mining department in Badakhshan province.
Radio Ozodi, citing its sources, writes that the person speaking from Tajikistan in this video is the head of the border detachment in the Shamsiddin Shokhin area.
According to Afghan media reports, after the return of the Taliban to power, several companies associated with the movement's commanders have been mining gold and lapis lazuli on the banks of the Panj River in Badakhshan. Now, along with Afghans, Chinese citizens are also involved in gold mining in this region.
Recently, Radio Ozodi reported that a group of Chinese prospectors entered Tajikistan through the border in the Shamsiddin Shokhin area and were detained.
