Tajik Foreign Minister Urges International Aid for Afghanistan Amid Border Cooperation
Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister Sirodjiddin Mukhriddin called on the international community to increase assistance to Afghanistan to address its ongoing challenges. Speaking at a press conference, he said Tajikistan and Afghanistan maintain active coordination between law enforcement agencies to prevent security incidents along their shared 1,300-kilometer border, noting a recent increase in armed attacks and criminal activity. Mukhriddin stated that Afghan authorities assured Tajikistan they would take measures to stop further incidents and investigate violations.
He highlighted Tajikistan’s provision of over 6,000 tons of humanitarian aid, including food and supplies, to Afghanistan in 2025 following earthquakes, as well as growing economic ties through reopened border markets and electricity supplies.
Zafar Samad, director of Tajikistan’s Drug Control Agency, reported 17 clashes with drug smugglers along the border last year, resulting in two Tajik forces and 10 Afghan nationals killed.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Islamic Emirate’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, warned at a military graduation ceremony that the Islamic Emirate would respond decisively to threats against Afghanistan, describing the country as "a bitter tree that has made the throats of empires bitter." Baradar announced upcoming tax exemptions of one to five years for domestic and foreign investors based on investment levels in new sectors and accelerated land distribution to manufacturers. He urged countries to engage politically and economically in line with the Islamic Emirate’s values and principles.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported in its latest human rights update that 14 members of former Afghan government forces were killed in the last three months of 2025, alongside 28 arbitrary arrests and detentions and at least seven torture cases targeting former officials. The report noted some victims were recent returnees from Iran and Pakistan, and highlighted restrictions on women’s work and movement, executions, floggings, and internet disruptions.
An eight-member Afghan delegation led by Haseebullah Ahmadi, deputy interior minister for counter-narcotics, has traveled to Jakarta, Indonesia.
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