The number of armed clashes at the border with Afghanistan has increased

Afghan smugglers are making more armed incursions into Tajikistan.

In the first half of 2025, there were 10 armed clashes recorded at the Tajik-Afghan border between Tajik border guards and Afghan smugglers.

The Director of the Drug Control Agency under the President of Tajikistan, Zafari Samad, reported on July 29 at a press conference that this is almost double compared to the same period last year, when only 6 such incidents were recorded.

Most of the shootouts occurred in the border areas of Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, along the border with the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan, Zafari Samad stated. As a result of the clashes, 4 drug couriers were killed, all of whom were citizens of Afghanistan.

Zafari Samad noted that in some cases, the smugglers were well-armed and used modern equipment.

He also identified Afghanistan as the main source of drug smuggling into Tajikistan, stating that in the border areas with Afghanistan alone, 1.7 tons of drugs were seized, accounting for 54.4% of the total volume of drugs confiscated in the country.

In total, 3.1 tons of narcotic substances were confiscated in Tajikistan over the past six months, which is 10.4 kilograms more than in the same period last year.

Zafari Samad also claims that in light of the unstable situation in Afghanistan, Tajik authorities have strengthened security measures at the border and intensified international cooperation in combating drug trafficking. However, the data he presented proves that the situation has worsened.

The Tajik official names Afghanistan as the main source of drug trafficking, yet the Taliban have repeatedly accused neighboring countries of facilitating drug smuggling.