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Five people killed in firefight on Tajik-Afghan border, Tajikistan says

Five people killed in firefight on Tajik-Afghan border, Tajikistan says

The incident is the third of its kind in recent weeks in which Tajik border guards and civilians have been killed. By News Agencies Published On 25 Dec 202525 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Five people have been killed in a firefight between border guards and intruders on Tajikistan‘s border with Afghanistan, the Tajik border protection agency says. Heavily armed raiders from Afghanistan crossed into Tajikistan at the village of Kavo in the Shamsiddin Shokhin district on Tuesday and were located on Wednesday, according to a statement by the border agency published by Tajik news agency Khovar. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The border agency said the men attacked a guard post, killing two border guards, and three of the intruders died in the ensuing gun battle. The agency said the incident was the third of its kind in recent weeks in which Tajik border guards and civilians were killed. The border guards secured the weapons and ammunition used by the intruders, including grenades, three M-16 rifles, a Kalashnikov assault rifle, three foreign-made pistols with silencers, 10 hand grenades, a night-vision scope, explosives and other ammunition at the scene, the agency said. “The terrorists refused to obey orders from Tajik border guards to surrender and offered armed resistance. They intended to carry out an armed attack on one of the border posts of the Border Troops of the State Committee for National Security of the Republic of Tajikistan,” the statement said. Chinese citizens working for a mining company in the region have also been among those killed. The latest incident demonstrated “the Taliban government’s failure to fulfil their international obligations and repeated commitments to ensuring security and stability along the state border with the Republic of Tajikistan and to combating members of terrorist organisations, reflecting serious and recurring irresponsibility”, the statement added. Advertisement It agency said that it expected an apology from the Afghan leadership. Tajikistan will defend its territorial integrity against “terrorists and smugglers” by all means, it added. Afghanistan has not yet commented on the incident. Drugs from Afghanistan are smuggled into Central Asia across the largely unsecured 1,340km (830-mile) border. Russian forces are stationed in Tajikistan and have in the past participated in joint exercises with Tajik forces to help secure the border. Adblock test (Why?)

Palestinian actor and filmmaker Mohammad Bakri dies at 72

Palestinian actor and filmmaker Mohammad Bakri dies at 72

Celebrated director of ‘Jenin, Jenin’ documentary leaves behind legacy of artistic resistance. Published On 25 Dec 202525 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Acclaimed Palestinian actor and filmmaker Mohammad Bakri has died in northern Israel, ending a five-decade career that established him as one of the most influential voices in Palestinian cinema. Bakri died on Wednesday at Galilee Medical Centre in Nahariya after suffering from heart and lung problems, hospital officials said. Recommended Stories list of 2 itemsend of list His passing removes a towering figure whose work directly challenged Israeli narratives and whose decades-long legal battles over censorship became a defining chapter in Palestinian cultural resistance. The 72-year-old was best known for his 2002 documentary, Jenin, Jenin, which captured testimonies from Palestinian residents following a devastating Israeli military operation in the refugee camp that killed 52 Palestinians. The film ignited years of controversy in Israel but elevated Bakri’s status as a creative and would overshadow the remainder of his life. Israeli authorities banned the documentary from screening in 2021, with the Supreme Court upholding the prohibition in 2022, deeming it defamatory. “I intend to appeal the verdict because it is unfair, it is neutering my truth,” Bakri told the Walla News website at the time. Five soldiers sued Bakri, and courts eventually fined him hundreds of thousands of shekels while ordering all copies seized and online links removed. In an interview with the British Film Institute earlier this year, Bakri said, “I don’t see Israel as my enemy … but they consider me their enemy. They see me as a traitor … for making a movie.” Advertisement Born in 1953 in the Galilee village of Bi’ina, Bakri was a Palestinian citizen of Israel who studied Arabic literature and theatre at Tel Aviv University. He made his striking film debut at age 30 in Costa-Gavras’s Hanna K, playing a Palestinian refugee attempting to reclaim his family’s home. His role as a Palestinian prisoner in the 1984 Israeli film Beyond the Walls earned international acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for the production. But it was Bakri’s commitment to telling Palestinian stories that defined his career. He appeared in more than 40 films and directed several documentaries examining the experiences of Palestinians living under occupation and within Israel. His solo theatrical performance of The Pessoptimist, based on Emile Habibi’s novel about Palestinian identity, was performed more than 1,500 times worldwide and cemented his status as a cultural icon. Bakri is survived by his wife Leila and six children, including actors Saleh, Ziad and Adam, who have followed him into cinema. His funeral was held the same day in Bi’ina. Adblock test (Why?)