3 Chinese citizens killed in Tajik-Afghan border clash

Three Chinese workers in Tajikistan were killed in an attack launched from Afghanistan near the border, Tajik authorities said on Thursday.

Tajikistan has strained relations with the Taliban in Afghanistan, and several border clashes have broken out in recent months.

The foreign ministry said a drone and firearm attack hit workers of a Chinese company in the country’s south.

“The attack, carried out with firearms and a drone loaded with grenades, claimed the lives of three employees of Chinese nationality,” it said in a statement.

Dushanbe rarely comments officially on such incidents, and it did not say who it suspects carried out the attack.

Militants from jihadist groups are active in the mountainous border region, which spans around 1,350km (840 miles) between the two countries.