DUSHANBE, March 23, 2013, Asia-Plus -- Three Afghan citizens and a Tajik man have been killed in a hostage-taking incident in the Tajik southern province of Khatlon.

Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reports three armed Afghans came on March 21 to the village of Dehi Qozi in the Shouroobod district near the Tajik-Afghan border and took four local citizens hostage, trying to take them to Afghanistan.

The sources say the hostages resisted their captors, killing all three of them.

One of the hostages was also killed in the incident.

An official with Tajikistan''s State Committee for National Security (SCNS) confirmed to RFE/RL that the incident took place but declined to give any details.

Locals say armed Afghans regularly enter Tajik territory to abduct local citizens for ransom.

They reportedly force Tajiks to pay them money they owe for selling illegal drugs obtained from Afghans.

Meanwhile according to official data, last month alone saw five skirmishes between Tajik border guards and armed drug smugglers on the Tajik-Afghan border.

Five drug smugglers and one Tajik border guard were killed din those skirmishes.

The Drug Control Agency (DCA) under the President of Tajikistan says Tajik law enforcement authorities seized nearly 6,000 kilograms of drugs last year, which was 41 percent more than in 2011.  A totaled included 515 kilograms of heroin, 630 kilograms of raw opium and 4,800 kilograms of cannabis.

Last year, Tajik security forces reportedly arrested 946 people on drug charges, including 33 women and 28 foreign nationals.