Tajikistan’s presidential press office said on Monday that two attacks launched from Afghan territory over the past week have killed five people and injured five others.

President Emomali Rahmon instructed security agencies to assess the situation and consider measures to reinforce border security.

According to the statement, Rahmon condemned what he called the illegal and provocative actions of Afghan citizens and directed authorities to take effective steps to resolve the issue and prevent further incidents.

Tajik officials have previously warned about drug traffickers and illegal gold miners operating in remote areas along the Afghan border.

Earlier, the Tajik Foreign Ministry said three Chinese workers were killed when assailants crossed from Afghanistan and attacked the staff compound of the “Shahín SM” gold-mining company in the Shamsiddin Shohin district of Khatlon province.

Local sources in Badakhshan told Afghanistan International that on Sunday evening, 30 November, two Chinese nationals were also attacked in the Shadak border area of Tajikistan from Razavi village in Maimay district. The sources said the attack appeared to involve Taliban border forces who had recently arrived in the area from other parts of Badakhshan.

Tajik authorities have not publicly named the perpetrators but have described the assailants as criminal groups operating from inside Afghanistan.