Another armed clash took place on the Tajik-Afghan border on January 29, as the Main Border Guard Directorate of the State Committee for national Security (SCNS) of Tajikistan reported an encounter with Afghan smugglers, according to the state-run news agency Khovar.
The incident reportedly occurred around 7:30 PM near the Bakhorak border post of SCNS’s military unit 0341. Five Afghan smugglers illegally crossed the border and entered Tajikistan from Afghanistan.
Following operational investigative measures, Tajik border guards identified the criminals' movement route in the area. When ordered to stop, the smugglers opened fire and attempted to retreat back into Afghanistan. The border guards returned fire, and as a result, three Afghan smugglers were killed at the scene.
The killed individuals were identified as Jaweed waladi Davlatmand and Rashid waladi Davlatmand, residents of Qariya Voricha, and Sabir waladi Zahir, a resident of Qariya Andjir, in the Chah Ab district of Takhar province, Afghanistan. Two smugglers managed to escape into Afghanistan under the cover of darkness.
At the scene, border guards reportedly confiscated three Kalashnikov assault rifles with four magazines, 150 rounds of ammunition, 73 packages of narcotic drugs (hashish and opium) in four bags, and a boat.
The SCNS confirmed that the situation on the border is under control, and a criminal case has been initiated, with charges including the illegal trafficking of narcotics, smuggling, illegal border crossing, and the unlawful possession of firearms.
This incident is not the first armed clash on the Tajik-Afghan border. Previously, there have been multiple attempts to illegally cross the border from Afghanistan. Notably, on November 26 and 30, 2025, two attacks from Afghanistan targeted border areas in Tajikistan, resulting in the deaths of five Chinese nationals, with another five injured. These attacks were carried out on the Shohin-SM mining company base in the Shamsiddin-Shohin district of Khatlon province and on a road construction company in the Darvoz district of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).
Tajikistan strongly condemned these attacks, demanding that the Taliban government ensure security along the joint border and apprehend those responsible for the crimes. The Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the attacks were carried out by groups seeking to "create instability and mistrust between the countries of the region."
On the night of December 23-24, Tajik border guards foiled an infiltration attempt from Afghanistan into the Shamsiddin-Shohin district, which resulted in the deaths of three militants and two Tajikistani border guards.
Tajikistani authorities criticized the Taliban for not fulfilling their international obligations to stop cross-border attacks. They urged the Taliban leadership to apologize to the people of Tajikistan and take meaningful steps to ensure the security of the shared border
According to Afghan media outlet Hasht-e Subh, the militants killed by Tajik border guards were members of the terrorist group Jamaat Ansarullah.
On January 18 of this year, militants infiltrated Tajikistan from the Darbandak village in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, crossing into the jurisdiction of the "Yol" border post in the Shamsiddin-Shokhin district. The terrorists ignored orders to surrender and fought back with weapons. All four militants were killed during the confrontation. There were no reported casualties among the Tajik border guards.
At the scene, authorities seized three Kalashnikov assault rifles, one "Kruz" rifle, six magazines, 183 rounds of ammunition, three mobile phones, a radio, and a boat.