Tajikistan’s border forces have reported the successful elimination of a group of drug smugglers from Afghanistan using a domestically produced drone — marking the country’s first known use of unmanned aerial technology in a live border security operation.
According to a state television report aired on November 22, the incident occurred during the night of November 20 in Hamadoni district, Khatlon province. Around 10:50 p.m., border troops detected an illegal crossing attempt by a group of seven individuals from Afghanistan.
Using a drone manufactured in Tajikistan, two of the intruders were neutralized. The following morning, security forces discovered the bodies of two Afghan nationals along with five sacks containing 116 packages of narcotics.
The State Committee for National Security (SCNS) confirmed that this was the first time a domestically made drone had been deployed in a border operation.
There is currently no information about the fate of the other five individuals involved in the attempted crossing.
Rising tensions on the border
In the past six months, there have been at least 10 armed clashes along the Tajik-Afghan border, resulting in the deaths of four Afghan drug traffickers, according to official reports.
Most of the incidents occurred near Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, a region notorious for drug trafficking networks equipped with advanced weapons and technology.
Afghanistan remains the main drug source
Between January and June 2025, Tajik authorities seized 1,692 kilograms of narcotics in border regions — accounting for 54.4% of all drugs confiscated nationwide.
Amid ongoing instability in Afghanistan, Tajikistan has tightened its border security and expanded international cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking.
