TAJIKISTAN — Work has resumed on the Dushanbe-Kulma highway project in Tajikistan following a suspension after an attack that killed two Chinese workers on November 30, 2025. The project connects Dushanbe to China via Khorog and the Kulma Pass border crossing.

On November 30, 2025, two Chinese workers employed by China Road and Bridge Corporation were killed in Shodak village in Tajikistan's Darvoz district of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO). Work stopped on the Qal'ai Khumb-Vanj section of the highway following the incident. In 2022, the Tajik Transportation Ministry announced that China Road and Bridge Corporation would rehabilitate the highway.

Following the attack, Chinese Ambassador to Tajikistan Guo Zhijun "demanded that Tajikistan take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese enterprises and citizens in Tajikistan." The Chinese embassy in Tajikistan also issued a WeChat message urging Chinese businesses and citizens to evacuate from border areas.

The Tajik Transportation Ministry stated that work resumed after security measures were implemented. "After taking the necessary measures to ensure the safety of Chinese workers in cooperation with relevant agencies, Chinese workers have returned to the facility and the remaining work is currently underway," the ministry said. An RFE/RL reporter observed Chinese employees guarded by Tajik special forces in late May 2026.

Authorities have offered varying accounts regarding the November 2025 attacks. Tajik authorities suggested criminal groups and drug smugglers were responsible. Taliban officials indicated that unnamed groups aiming to damage the Afghanistan-Tajikistan relationship were behind the attacks, which were reported to have originated in Afghanistan's Badakhshan Province. Separately, in January 2026, two Tajik border officials in GBAO's Khatlon Province stated that a November 26, 2025 attack on a gold mining company stemmed from water disputes. A grant of 569 million somoni, approximately $61 million, was provided for the border facilities project.