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Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan conflict: Alleged heavy weapon used amid growing tensions
- Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon are both attending SCO
- Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, both former Soviet republics, host Russian military bases
- They have close ties with Moscow
Kyrgyzstan’s border guard service on Friday accused Tajik forces of opening fire on several of its outposts amid growing tensions between the two Central Asian nations. The firing began after a brief confrontation earlier this week.
Kyrgyz border guards returned fire as clashes took place along the whole length of the border, the service said, adding that Tajik forces were using tanks, armored personnel carriers, and mortars.
Meanwhile, Tajikistan accused Kyrgyz forces of shelling one of its outposts and seven villages with “heavy weaponry.” Local media reported that a civilian was killed and three others injured in the Tajik city of Isfara.
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Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon are both attending a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Uzbekistan.
The governors of Kyrgyz and Tajik provinces close to the border were set to meet to discuss ways to defuse the situation, Al Jazeera reported.
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, both former Soviet republics, host Russian military bases and have close ties with Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin is also attending the Uzbekistan summit. Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are also part of the summit along with host of other world leaders.
On Wednesday, Russia urged the two countries to take urgent measures to bring the situation on the border under control.
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More than one-third of the 600-mile frontier remains disputed. This has led to repeated tensions and sporadic deadly clashes since the two countries gained independence three decades ago.
While these clashes usually de-escalate quickly, last year’s violence between the two militaries was unprecedented, leaving more than 50 people dead.
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