Two people have died in a new round of cross-border shelling from Afghanistan into Tajikistan.

The press service of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, who has ruled authoritatively for more than 30 years, announced the development on Monday.

According to local media, the victims are once again Chinese citizens. There was no information on the background to the shelling. Two suspects have now been arrested in connection with the attack.

Local media reported that the victims were again Chinese citizens. No information was provided about the background to the shelling.

The Tajik Foreign Ministry said that three other Chinese nationals were killed in an armed attack from Afghanistan last week. The victims were employees of a mining company.

The Foreign Ministry in Kabul responded by expressing its condolences and assuring the authorities in Tajikistan of its full cooperation in investigating those responsible.

No specific information was provided from Kabul about the possible background to the incident. It was merely stated that "elements" involved in the attack were attempting to cause disorder, mistrust and instability between the countries in the region.

Rahmon has discussed the incidents with his country's security authorities, and border protection is to be strengthened. He condemned "the illegal and provocative acts of Afghan citizens" and instructed those responsible to take effective measures to resolve the situation and prevent similar incidents in future.

Chinese companies are widely represented in Tajikistan, which has a 1,340-kilometre-long border with Afghanistan. Only part of this is secured, and drugs are often smuggled across it into Central Asia.

Russian troops are also stationed in Tajikistan, where they have trained jointly with Tajik soldiers on border security in the past.