Uzbekistan has asked the Afghan government to tighten security measures for staff employed by Uzbek companies operating in Afghanistan.

This comes after an armed attack was carried out against Uzbek railway company staff working in Balkh province last week. 
Central Asian news agency Trend reported Sunday that Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and his Afghan counterpart Haneef Atmar spoke over the phone following the attack near Hairaton railway station on Thursday. 
According to Trend, Uzbekistan’s state railway company said in a statement that during the attack by unidentified gunmen, an Afghan soldier guarding the railway line was killed, and an Uzbek railway specialist was wounded and taken to hospital.
In response to Kamilov’s request, Atmar reportedly said that Afghan authorities will conduct a thorough investigation into the attack and bring those involved to justice.
Afghanistan shares a northern border with Uzbekistan, which has worked on infrastructure projects in the country over the past few years – including the construction of a railway line.