On November 26th, three Chinese engineers were killed in a drone attack on a gold mine in Tajikistan’s Khatlon Province. Tajikistan claimed that the drone flew from Afghanistan. Tajikistan stated that criminal groups in Afghanistan were involved in the attack. They had called on the Taliban government to take action to prevent such incidents. However, the Taliban has now distanced itself from the attack. The Taliban stated that the attack was carried out by a group that has long sought to spread anarchy in Pakistan. Despite this claim by the Taliban, it is still unclear who is behind the deaths of the Chinese engineers. China is angered by the attack on the engineers. Many Chinese companies operate in Tajikistan, particularly in the mining and natural resources sectors, and most of these projects are located in the border areas. Chinese investment is economically very important for Tajikistan. Chinese investment is contributing not only to mining but also to power, buildings, and infrastructure. The attack on the Chinese engineers has angered China. China has condemned the incident and warned its citizens and companies to leave the border area. Attacks on Chinese engineers have occurred in the past. The mountainous border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan is approximately 1,350 kilometers long. Last year, a Chinese worker was killed in an attack near the Afghan border. Tajikistan has repeatedly complained about terrorist infiltration from Afghanistan and that groups based in Afghanistan attempt to destabilize Central Asia. Pakistan also seized the opportunity and accused the Taliban government of failing to take concrete action against terrorism. Pakistan stated that this attack is proof of the growing threat of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. Pakistan stated that Afghan soil needs to be prevented from becoming a launch pad for terrorism. The Taliban blames Pakistan. Tensions already exist between the Taliban and Pakistan. The Taliban alleges that Pakistan has sheltered terrorists like the ISKP and facilitated their training camps. The Taliban government has long accused Pakistan of providing land to the US for drone strikes and harboring Islamic State (ISKP) terrorists. Afghanistan Condemns Attack Following the attack, the Afghan Foreign Ministry sent condolence messages to China and Tajikistan and condemned the attack. Ministry spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmed stated that Afghanistan would provide full cooperation in the matter, including information sharing, technical assistance, and a joint investigation to determine the reasons behind the attack. ————————- Read this news too.. India-Pakistan debate in London cancelled: Pakistan accused India of backtracking, Indian speaker said the allegations were false, showed email and call records. The India-Pakistan debate scheduled for November 27th at the Oxford Union in the UK has been cancelled. Speakers from Pakistan and India were scheduled to participate in the debate. Read the full news…
