Chinese workers have resumed construction of a major road near the Tajikistan–Afghanistan border after it had been suspended for several months due to security concerns.
The Tajik Ministry of Transport stated that work on the 109-kilometre section of the Dushanbe–Kulma highway, located near the Afghan border, has restarted following a pause.
According to the ministry, Tajikistan has assured China that special measures will be taken to ensure the security of Chinese workers.
Work on the project was halted in late 2025 after China advised its citizens to leave border areas due to security threats. This decision came in late November 2025 following an attack on a Chinese work team, in which two Chinese workers were killed. In a separate incident, three other Chinese nationals were also killed.
Tajik authorities have attributed both attacks to armed groups based in Afghanistan, although no independent evidence has been provided to support these claims so far.
According to RFE/RL’s Tajik service, the security of Chinese workers is currently being provided by Tajik special forces.
The Tajik Ministry of Defense has also announced that joint military exercises between Chinese border forces and Tajik security forces are scheduled to take place in September of this year.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
