Armed clashes erupted between Tajik border guards and Taliban fighters on October 25 along the Tajik-Afghan frontier, according to local sources cited by the Afghan outlet 8 Subh. The confrontation reportedly occurred in the Davanga district of Shahr-e Buzurg, located in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province.
The dispute reportedly stemmed from disagreements over water diversion from the Amu Darya river, which serves as part of the natural boundary between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The region is also home to Chinese-operated gold mining projects, further complicating the security landscape.
Sources on the ground reported casualties and injuries, although official figures have not yet been released. The Tajik government has not issued an official statement. In response to the incident, Taliban representatives in Badakhshan held a meeting with the province’s appointed governor, Ismail Ghaznawi.
This is not the first escalation in the area. On August 24, a shootout occurred near a Chinese-operated gold mining facility on the Afghan side of the border. That conflict was halted following emergency negotiations between the two sides, although accusations of harboring hostile groups persisted.
The latest incident comes just days after a Taliban delegation visited Dushanbe. Led by Balkh province’s Governor Yusuf Wafa, the delegation met with Tajikistan’s National Security Council Chairman Saimumin Yatimov and the Chairman of the Council of Ulemas, Saidmukarram Abdulkodirzoda.
Despite this diplomatic contact, Tajikistan remains the only Central Asian country that has not recognized the Taliban government. Dushanbe continues to call for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and the protection of human rights.
Nonetheless, limited trade and humanitarian engagement between the two countries persist. The Afghan embassy in Dushanbe is still headed by a diplomat appointed by the former government, while the Afghan consulate in Khorog is administered by a representative of the current Taliban-led administration. Tajikistan, in turn, maintains its embassy and consulate in Afghanistan.
