Key Points
- Tajik authorities recovered 17 kilograms of cannabis.
- An AK-47 and Makarov pistol were also seized.
- Authorities linked the men to Kunduz province.
- Seven border clashes reportedly occurred during early 2026.
ISLAMABAD: Two Afghan nationals were killed in an armed clash with Tajik border guards after reportedly crossing into Tajikistan, with authorities saying 17 kilograms of cannabis and two firearms were recovered from the scene.
According to Afghanistan International, citing Tajik media outlet Pamir Inside, the incident was reported on Friday. Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security said the two men were residents of Barzangi village in Imam Sahib district of Afghanistan’s Kunduz province.
The report said the men crossed from Afghanistan into the Fathobod area of Jayhun district in Khatlon province.
Tajik border guards purportedly ordered the men to surrender, but they opened fire, prompting an exchange of gunfire in which both Afghan nationals were killed, according to the report.
The State Committee for National Security said its personnel recovered an AK-47 rifle, a Makarov pistol and two backpacks containing 17 kilograms of cannabis from the site.
Cases have been opened in connection with drug trafficking, smuggling, organising illegal migration and unlawful possession of weapons, according to the report.
The latest incident comes amid a series of reported armed confrontations along the Tajik-Afghan border.
Earlier, Asia-Plus, citing Tajikistan’s Drug Control Agency, reported that seven armed clashes had occurred along the border during the first six months of 2026. The incidents “resulteda; in the deaths of 17 Afghan nationals.
Tajik forces also seized 1,513 kilograms of narcotics along the Afghan border during the same period, according to the figures cited by Asia-Plus.
In another incident in April, Tajik authorities said two Afghan nationals were killed while attempting to enter Farkhor district in Khatlon province. Authorities said 25 kilograms of drugs were seized from them.
The latest case highlights continuing security and drug-trafficking concerns along Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan, where armed encounters involving alleged smugglers have been reported repeatedly.
