[1] Four Western touring cyclists were killed while cycling in the Danghara District, and two more were injured after five IS members rammed them with a car and then got out of the vehicle and stabbed them.

Terrorist movements are known to be present in Central Asia; Afghanistan, with which Tajikistan shares a long border, has been affected by decades of Islamist murderous attacks.

[3] On July 29, 2018 at approximately 3:30 pm, while seven Western cyclists were cycling the Kulyab-Dushanbe highway (A385) next to the village of Safobakhsh on the Danghara district, about a 100 km south of Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe,[1] 5 assailants driving a Daewoo sedan made a U-turn and rammed into them with their vehicle; then, they got out of the car and stabbed them with some knives and an axe.

[4] The group of five appear in a video posthumously released by news agencies of the Islamic State in which they pledge allegiance to its self-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

[13] Tajik authorities feared the murder would ruin efforts to promote tourism in the country and many travelers cancelled their visits after the attack.

[14] Some English-speaking news sites and social media posts raised the idea that the American couple had been excessively naive for travelling in Tajikistan.