A massive attack took place on a deserted gold mine hill in the remote Khatlon province of Tajikistan. This attack not only cost three lives but also shook the politics of the entire region. A weaponized drone flying over the Afghan-Tajikistan border dropped grenades on a gold mine belonging to a Chinese company, killing three Chinese citizens. One person got injured there. But the story does not end here. The real stir came after it came to light that the drone had come from Afghan airspace but was being operated by someone else.
According to the report published in Economic Times, China has set up an investigation and initial indications suggest that the drone may have been operated either by Pakistan’s military units or one of their proxy networks. Russia has also now joined this investigation, especially because Russian troops are deployed on the Tajikistan-Afghan border. The Russian President was recently on a visit to Tajikistan and relations between the two countries are very close. In such a situation, Russia wants to understand what force is working behind this attack. He is investigating whether Pakistan is behind this.
How did the attack happen?
The Tajikistan government issued a statement saying that the attack was carried out by ‘criminal gangs present in the neighboring country’, who are ‘trying to spread instability in the region.’ Neither Tajikistan directly blamed the Taliban, nor did the Taliban point a finger at Tajikistan, but the statements came in such a way that each country seemed to be giving signals in its own way. Afghanistan clearly said that there is some other ‘circle’ behind the attack. Expressing condolences to China and Tajikistan, Afghanistan said that the attack was carried out by people who try to spread ‘anarchy, distrust and regional instability’.
What did Taliban say?
The meaning of Taliban’s statement is clear. They are saying that this has been done by some third force, whose aim is to create rifts between China, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The Afghan Foreign Ministry assured Tajikistan of cooperation, data-sharing and technical assistance in the entire investigation.
What did Pakistan say on the drone attack?
Now comes the most interesting part of the story. The attack took place in Tajikistan, but Pakistan has jumped into it. Afghanistan-Tajikistan were giving statements in a calm manner. China was only talking about investigation and Russia is busy collecting evidence. But before these three, Pakistan issued a direct press statement and attacked Taliban. Pakistan described it as a result of ‘terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan’ and said that ‘repeated attacks are taking place from Afghan soil, it is a matter of grave concern.’
The thing to note is that Pakistan does not have any evidence yet. Nor did Tajikistan blame the Taliban. But Pakistan immediately targeted Taliban and tried to show itself as the ‘victim’. In the same way, on the incident of an Afghan shooter in Washington DC, he had sent a statement to America calling himself a victim of terrorism.
Why is Russia worried?
There are many reasons for Russia’s concern. The attack took place on the Afghan-Tajik border, for whose security Russian soldiers are responsible. If cross-border drone attacks become common, Central Asia may become unstable, that is why Russia has also started investigating who was flying the drone.
