DUSHANBE: Tajikistan has lodged a formal protest with the interim Afghan Taliban government over a violation of its airspace and territorial integrity during fighting in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province that left a woman dead and damaged residential properties.
Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry said Dushanbe sent a protest note demanding a serious investigation and called on the Taliban administration to respect the country’s territorial integrity and border sovereignty.
The ministry said gunfire from Afghan territory killed a 21-year-old woman in Tajikistan’s Darvoz district, which lies across the border from Badakhshan. Residential homes were also damaged.
Tajik security and military agencies have launched an investigation into the incident.
Woman killed at home
Reports identified the victim as Yatimzoda Jasmina, who was inside her home when a bullet entered through a window and struck her. She is survived by a young child.
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Tajik President Emomali Rahmon expressed condolences to the woman’s family and ordered authorities to provide financial and other assistance. Officials were also instructed to monitor the welfare and education of her child.
The incident came amid intense clashes between Taliban forces and fighters loyal to dissident commander Juma Khan Fateh in Badakhshan’s Nusay district.
Recent fighting in Nusay has involved helicopters and heavy attacks, raising concerns about the impact of the violence on communities along the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border.
