ISLAMABAD: The Afghan Taliban have assured Tajikistan, China and Pakistan of complete cooperation in identifying and apprehending the perpetrators of the recent cross-border attack that killed nine Chinese workers in Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan region.
Senior Taliban officials told a closed-door meeting in Kabul that the attack was carried out by elements opposed to growing Chinese investment in the region and vowed to share all available intelligence.
Sources said the assault has accelerated long-discussed plans for a joint regional security mechanism involving Tajikistan, Pakistan, China, Uzbekistan, Iran and Turkmenistan.
The proposed framework will focus on real-time intelligence sharing, coordinated border patrols and rapid response teams to counter spillover threats from Afghanistan.
Furthermore, a proposal is also gaining attention that a joint border Force of Pakistan China Iran and Tajikistan may be created which would do the joint border patrol along with Afghanistan border to check the cross border terror.
Diplomatic channels confirmed that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and China’s Ministry of State Security have already begun exchanging data on militant networks operating along the Wakhan Corridor.
Tajikistan has welcomed the Taliban’s assurance but stressed that concrete action, including extradition of suspects, will determine the level of future trust.
Read Top Stories
The new mechanism is expected to hold its inaugural meeting in Dushanbe next month, with military and intelligence representatives from all six countries attending.
Analysts believe the development marks a significant shift, bringing the Taliban into a formal counter-terrorism arrangement with neighbours for the first time since 2021.
The attack has also prompted Beijing to review security protocols for thousands of its workers engaged in Belt and Road projects across Central Asia.
Source: www.dawn.com/news/1876543″>https://www.dawn.com/news/1876543