Dushanbe: Beijing issued an immediate evacuation alert for its nationals along the volatile frontier after a brazen drone strike from Afghan soil killed three Chinese labourers at a remote gold mine in Tajikistan.
The assault targeted a facility in Tajikistan’s southern Khatlon province, operated by the Shaheen SM Gold Mining Company, where Chinese firms have poured resources into extraction and infrastructure amid the rugged 1,350 km border with Afghanistan.
Tajik authorities swiftly pinned blame on “criminal groups” holed up inside Afghanistan, while the Taliban quickly distanced itself, condemning the “heinous act” and vowing to hunt the culprits.
In a terse statement, Kabul’s Foreign Ministry decried the violence, asserting that “initial information suggests elements involved may seek to sow chaos, breed distrust among nations, and destabilise the region.”
The Taliban emphasised its commitment to border security, but the incident has only amplified suspicions in a neighbourhood already jittery about post-2021 spillover threats.
Beijing’s response was swift and stark. The Chinese embassy in Dushanbe confirmed the fatalities and issued a red alert: “All Chinese citizens and enterprises must vacate the border areas immediately due to grave security risks.”
Officials stopped short of naming perpetrators but pressed Tajikistan for a “thorough probe”, underscoring Beijing’s growing unease over its Belt and Road investments in the volatile Pamirs.
The attack unfolded against the backdrop of a high-stakes Collective Security Treaty Organization’s (CSTO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where leaders from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan gathered. They reiterated calls for “terror-free Afghanistan”—independent, neutral, and peaceful — and pledged CSTO support for global stabilisation efforts.
As dust settles on the scarred mining site, this cross-border outrage exposes the thin line between economic ambition and insurgent peril. For China, it’s a rude jolt to its Central Asian outreach; for the region, a grim reminder that old wounds from the Amu Darya can reopen with lethal precision.