Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, stated that he held phone talks with his Tajik counterpart, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, following a recent deadly border clash. The government of Tajikistan has not officially confirmed the call.
The border incident occurred on December 23, resulting in the deaths of two Tajik officers and three attackers, according to Tajik authorities.
Speaking at an event in Kabul on December 27 marking the 46th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Muttaqi said a “serious investigation” had been launched into the incident at the Afghan-Tajik border, according to Amu.tv.
He accused “malicious actors” of attempting to undermine relations between the Taliban and Tajikistan and of portraying the border situation as unstable.
“We contacted the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, and we are working together to prevent such negative developments,” Muttaqi said. He did not provide further details or specify the date of the conversation.
This marks only the second time in four years of Taliban rule that media have reported a phone conversation between the Taliban foreign minister and his Tajik counterpart. The first occurred in early December following two cross-border attacks from Afghanistan that resulted in casualties among Chinese nationals in Tajikistan.
The most recent border clash took place on December 23, when, according to Tajikistan’s Border Troops under the State Committee for National Security (SCNS), armed militants from Afghanistan crossed into Tajik territory near the “Bogh” observation post of the “Sarichashma” military unit in the Shamsiddin-Shohin district, Khatlon province. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of five individuals — two Tajik officers and three alleged members of a terrorist group.
The SCNS reported that the attackers intended to carry out an armed assault. Weapons and ammunition recovered from the scene included three M-16 rifles, a Kalashnikov assault rifle, three pistols, ten hand grenades, night vision equipment, explosives, and other military gear.
Tajik authorities have not disclosed which terrorist organization the slain militants belonged to. However, the Afghan newspaper Hasht-e Subh identified them as members of the Islamic extremist group Jamaat Ansarullah.
The SCNS accused the Taliban government of failing to fulfill its international obligations and repeated promises to ensure border security and combat terrorism. The agency characterized the Taliban’s actions as showing “incapacity and recurring irresponsibility.”
Officials in Dushanbe stated that the Taliban government must apologize to the people of Tajikistan and take “additional, effective measures” to secure the border.
It is worth noting that Tajikistan remains the only Central Asian country without formal diplomatic relations with the Taliban, although reports of bilateral meetings and consultations have become more frequent in recent months.
