diff --git a/sys/fs/p9fs/p9_client.h b/sys/fs/p9fs/p9_client.h
--- a/sys/fs/p9fs/p9_client.h
+++ b/sys/fs/p9fs/p9_client.h
@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@
 int p9_client_file_create(struct p9_fid *fid, char *name, uint32_t perm, int mode,
     char *extension);
 int p9_client_remove(struct p9_fid *fid);
+int p9_client_unlink(struct p9_fid *dfid, const char *name, int32_t flags);
 int p9_dirent_read(struct p9_client *clnt, char *buf, int start, int len,
     struct p9_dirent *dirent);
 int p9_client_statfs(struct p9_fid *fid, struct p9_statfs *stat);
diff --git a/sys/fs/p9fs/p9_client.c b/sys/fs/p9fs/p9_client.c
--- a/sys/fs/p9fs/p9_client.c
+++ b/sys/fs/p9fs/p9_client.c
@@ -669,6 +669,27 @@
 	return (error);
 }
 
+int
+p9_client_unlink(struct p9_fid *dfid, const char *name, int32_t flags)
+{
+	int error;
+	struct p9_client *clnt;
+	struct p9_req_t *req;
+
+	error = 0;
+	clnt = dfid->clnt;
+
+	req = p9_client_request(clnt, P9PROTO_TUNLINKAT, &error, "dsd",
+	    dfid->fid, name, flags);
+	if (error != 0) {
+		P9_DEBUG(PROTO, "RUNLINKAT fid %d\n", dfid->fid);
+		return (error);
+	}
+
+	p9_free_req(clnt, req);
+	return (error);
+}
+
 /* Inform the file server that the current file represented by fid is no longer
  * needed by the client. Any allocated fid on the server needs a clunk to be
  * destroyed.
diff --git a/sys/fs/p9fs/p9_protocol.h b/sys/fs/p9fs/p9_protocol.h
--- a/sys/fs/p9fs/p9_protocol.h
+++ b/sys/fs/p9fs/p9_protocol.h
@@ -267,6 +267,8 @@
 
 #define P9PROTO_TGETATTR_BLK		512
 
+#define	P9PROTO_UNLINKAT_REMOVEDIR	0x200
+
 /* PDU buffer used for SG lists. */
 struct p9_buffer {
 	uint32_t size;
diff --git a/sys/fs/p9fs/p9fs_vnops.c b/sys/fs/p9fs/p9fs_vnops.c
--- a/sys/fs/p9fs/p9fs_vnops.c
+++ b/sys/fs/p9fs/p9fs_vnops.c
@@ -1497,7 +1497,8 @@
  * After that, does a node metadata cleanup on client side.
  */
 static int
-remove_common(struct p9fs_node *np, struct ucred *cred)
+remove_common(struct p9fs_node *dnp, struct p9fs_node *np, const char *name,
+    struct ucred *cred)
 {
 	int error;
 	struct p9fs_session *vses;
@@ -1508,21 +1509,23 @@
 	vses = np->p9fs_ses;
 	vp = P9FS_NTOV(np);
 
-	vfid = p9fs_get_fid(vses->clnt, np, cred, VFID, -1, &error);
+	vfid = p9fs_get_fid(vses->clnt, dnp, cred, VFID, -1, &error);
 	if (error != 0)
 		return (error);
 
-	error = p9_client_remove(vfid);
+	error = p9_client_unlink(vfid, name,
+	    np->v_node->v_type == VDIR ? P9PROTO_UNLINKAT_REMOVEDIR : 0);
 	if (error != 0)
 		return (error);
 
 	/* Remove all non-open fids associated with the vp */
-	p9fs_fid_remove_all(np, TRUE);
+	if (np->inode.i_links_count == 1)
+		p9fs_fid_remove_all(np, TRUE);
 
 	/* Invalidate all entries of vnode from name cache and hash list. */
 	cache_purge(vp);
-
 	vfs_hash_remove(vp);
+
 	np->flags |= P9FS_NODE_DELETED;
 
 	return (error);
@@ -1537,8 +1540,10 @@
 	struct vnode *dvp;
 	struct p9fs_node *dnp;
 	struct p9fs_inode *dinode;
+	struct componentname *cnp;
 	int error;
 
+	cnp = ap->a_cnp;
 	vp = ap->a_vp;
 	np = P9FS_VTON(vp);
 	dvp = ap->a_dvp;
@@ -1550,7 +1555,7 @@
 	if (vp->v_type == VDIR)
 		return (EISDIR);
 
-	error = remove_common(np, ap->a_cnp->cn_cred);
+	error = remove_common(dnp, np, cnp->cn_nameptr, cnp->cn_cred);
 	if (error == 0)
 		P9FS_DECR_LINKS(dinode);
 
@@ -1566,8 +1571,10 @@
 	struct vnode *dvp;
 	struct p9fs_node *dnp;
 	struct p9fs_inode *dinode;
+	struct componentname *cnp;
 	int error;
 
+	cnp = ap->a_cnp;
 	vp = ap->a_vp;
 	np = P9FS_VTON(vp);
 	dvp = ap->a_dvp;
@@ -1576,7 +1583,7 @@
 
 	P9_DEBUG(VOPS, "%s: vp %p node %p \n", __func__, vp, np);
 
-	error = remove_common(np, ap->a_cnp->cn_cred);
+	error = remove_common(dnp, np, cnp->cn_nameptr, cnp->cn_cred);
 	if (error == 0)
 		P9FS_DECR_LINKS(dinode);