Tajikistan: Chinese workers killed in drone strike, Pakistan-Taliban trade accusations
What's the story
An armed drone attack on a China-linked gold mine in Tajikistan's Khatlon province on Wednesday, November 26, has left three Chinese nationals dead and one injured. The Tajik government has blamed "criminal groups located in the neighboring country" that are "continuing to commit acts aimed at destabilising the situation." Afghanistan has denied involvement, attributing it to a "circle" that spreads "chaos, instability, and distrust between countries in the region."
Official response
Afghanistan expresses condolences, condemns attack
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan has expressed "deep condolences" to China and Tajikistan over the incident. It also "strongly condemned" the attack and assured full cooperation in investigating the matter. The Taliban regime has been accused by Pakistan of harboring terrorists, a claim Kabul denies while blaming Islamabad for allowing US drone strikes inside Afghanistan from Pakistani territory and for supporting Islamic State terrorists.
Pakistan's stance
Pakistan condemns attack, links it to Afghan Taliban
Pakistan, on its part, has also condemned the attack as a "cowardly attack on Chinese nationals." It emphasized that Afghan territory "must not be used for terrorism against its neighbors or any other country," suggesting a link to the Taliban's protection of terrorist elements. Islamabad also invoked similar arguments in response to an Afghan national shooting US guards in Washington, DC, calling it an "act of terrorism" and stressing that transnational threats were emanating from Afghan soil.
Regional concerns
Tajikistan's Khatlon province a hotspot for extremism
Tajikistan's Khatlon province, which borders Afghanistan's Badakhshan, is known to be a hotbed of Central Asian extremists. The area has witnessed cross-border attacks, and the Tajik government sees it as a major threat to regional stability. Pakistani foreign policy expert Ali K Chishti said that "this incident will harden Beijing's position and accelerate regional counter-terror alignment."