Monitoring Desk: On the night of November 26, 2025, an armed attack was carried out from the territory of Afghanistan on the LLC Shohin SM employees’ camp, located within the control area of the 1st Border Guard Post “Istiqlol” of the “Yol” Border Detachment in the Khatlon region.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that the Afghan Taliban wanted to halt mining operations in Tajikistan being conducted by Chinese companies. The Afghan regime reportedly wanted Chinese firms to undertake mining projects in Afghanistan or pay “protection money” if they wished to avoid operating inside Afghanistan. It is pertinent to mention that China had previously invested heavily in Afghanistan’s mining sector, but most Chinese companies withdrew due to widespread corruption within Afghan governmental ranks and constant demands for “protection money” from various terrorist groups backed by the Afghan Taliban.
China appears more interested in pursuing mining projects in Tajikistan; however, its workers there are increasingly at risk because the Afghan Taliban have threatened Chinese firms to either stop operations in Tajikistan or pay protection money. Chinese companies have refused such demands. As the Afghan Taliban have historically used terrorism as a diplomatic and political tool, they have intensified their hostile activities against mining operations inside Tajikistan.
Khatlon Region is located in the southwest of Tajikistan, bordered by the Hisor Range to the north and the Panj River to the south. It shares borders with Afghanistan to the south and Uzbekistan to the west. The region covers approximately 24,700 square kilometers and consists of 21 districts and 4 district-level cities, with Bokhtar (formerly Qurghonteppa) serving as the capital.
This is the second attack on Chinese workers in Khatlon region within the past year. On November 18, 2024, a Chinese workers’ camp was similarly attacked. China strongly condemned that attack and expressed deep concern. The earlier attack took place in the Shamsiddin Shokhin area on the Tajikistan–Afghanistan border, which forms part of the Zarbuz Gorge — itself a larger section of the Dashti-Jum Nature Reserve. It is located near the Sari Gor area, where a border outpost is positioned. Chinese companies are actively involved in mineral extraction, including gold mining, in Tajikistan. Several mining companies in the country operate fully or partially with Chinese capital. The Zarbuz Gorge is associated with the Zarbuz Formation, a geological structure in Tajikistan, and the Zarbuz stream is located in Khatlon province.
Despite Tajikistan’s persistent efforts to ensure security and maintain an atmosphere of peace and stability along the Tajikistan–Afghanistan border, disruptive activities by criminal groups operating within Afghan territory continue.
The Tajik Foreign Office, in its statement, confirmed that on the night of November 26, 2025, an armed attack was launched from Afghanistan on the LLC Shohin SM camp within the control zone of the 1st Border Guard Post “Istiqlol” of the “Yol” Border Detachment in Khatlon region.
The attack was carried out using an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with grenades and firearms. As a result, three employees of LLC Shohin SM, all Chinese citizens, were killed.
Reiterating its deep concern, the Tajik side strongly condemned these actions by terrorist groups and urged the ruling authorities in Afghanistan to take effective measures to ensure stability and security along the shared border.
Pakistan has also condemned the latest attack. The use of armed drones in the incident highlights the severity of the threat emanating from Afghanistan and the brazenness of those responsible.
As a neighbour that has repeatedly suffered terrorist attacks orchestrated from Afghan soil, the people of Pakistan fully understand and share the grief and anguish of their Chinese friends and Tajik partners.
Pakistan has consistently emphasized that Afghan territory must not be used for terrorism against its neighbours or any other country. The repeated use of Afghan soil by terrorist elements, and their continued presence under the patronage of the Afghan Taliban regime, remains a serious concern for the entire region and the wider international community.
Concrete and verifiable action against the perpetrators, abettors, facilitators, and financiers of terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory is the only way to address this escalating threat. Pakistan will continue to work closely with China, Tajikistan, and other regional partners to promote peace, stability, and security in the shared neighbourhood.
