- The Chinese Foreign Ministry strongly condemns the violent attack
- A Chinese national was killed and four others were injured in the attack.
- The motives and identity of the attacker or attackers were not clear.
Beijing: A Chinese citizen was killed and four others were injured in an attack near the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.
The statement added, “On November 18, Beijing time, a camp of a private Chinese company in the border region between Tajikistan and Afghanistan was attacked (located on the Tajik side), which led to the death of a Chinese citizen and the injury of four others.” Agence France-Presse He reads.
The statement added, “China strongly condemns the violent attack, expresses its deep sorrow for the victims, and expresses its sincere condolences to the injured and the families of the victims.”
The ministry added that a “work team” sent by the Chinese embassy in Dushanbe arrived at the attack area “to express sympathy for the injured and coordinate the handling of subsequent matters.”
The motive and identity of the attacker or attackers was not clear from the statement, which also stated that the Chinese ambassador urged the Tajik side to “get to the bottom of the incident as soon as possible.”
Tajikistan shares a winding 1,350-kilometre (840-mile) border with Afghanistan and considers the Taliban – which regained control of the country in 2021 – a terrorist organization.
Chinese companies – especially companies involved in extracting raw minerals such as gold – have a strong presence in Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan.
“In light of the security situation in the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border region, we remind Chinese citizens and companies in the region to pay special attention to safety,” the statement said.