KEY POINTS
- Chinese Embassy in Kabul advises citizens in northern Afghanistan to withdraw promptly
- Advisory cited deaths, injuries, and damage to property in gold-mining areas
- Social media reports also highlighted embassy’s call for immediate evacuation
ISLAMABAD: China’s Embassy in Kabul has called on its citizens and businesses in Takhar and Badakhshan provinces to withdraw in an orderly manner as soon as possible, citing deteriorating security conditions along the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border.
The advisory was issued in the Chinese language on January 7, 2026, on the embassy’s official website.
The embassy said the security situation in the border region is complex and severe, noting that recent attacks on Chinese citizens and gold-mining enterprises resulted in deaths, injuries and damage to equipment.
“We again urge Chinese enterprises and citizens in the above areas to closely follow the security situation, take practical measures to strengthen safety precautions and withdraw in an orderly manner as soon as possible,” the advisory said.
Officials said on Thursday that at least four people were killed and several others injured during clashes between operators of a Chinese-run gold mine and local residents in north-eastern Afghanistan.
Violence erupted Tuesday in Chah Ab district, Takhar province, leaving three residents and one company employee dead, with five others wounded, Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qane said.
Qane confirmed that four people — three local residents and one employee of the mining company — lost their lives, while five others were wounded in the violence.
Local broadcaster Amu TV, however, reported higher casualties, saying at least six people were killed and 16 were injured during the attack and subsequent clashes at the Samti gold mine in Chah Ab district of Takhar province on Tuesday.
Local reporting and social media coverage also reflected the advisory. X user Ahmad Sharifzad posted, “China’s embassy in Kabul has asked its citizens to leave Takhar and Badakhshan immediately.”
Breaking:
China’s embassy in Kabul has asked its citizens to leave Takhar and Badakhshan immediately.
— Ahmad Sharifzad (@AhmadSharifzad) January 8, 2026
The embassy provided emergency contact numbers for local Afghan authorities and consular protection services to assist Chinese nationals during the withdrawal.
Chinese state media noted that the advisory underscores heightened risks for foreign workers in northern Afghanistan, particularly in areas near the Afghan–Tajik border where armed groups have targeted gold-mining operations.
