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More than 50 people were killed in the clashes in April 2021.
Currently, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have said that around 100 people have been killed in border clashes.
Russia has asked the two countries to settle the dispute peacefully.
New Delhi. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan said on Sunday that at least 100 people had been killed in clashes along their border. A delicate ceasefire between the two Central Asian countries continued for the second day. At the same time, Russia, a mutual ally of these two countries, has urged to reduce tension. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan clashed over a border dispute on 14–16 September, with each accusing the other of attacking posts and surrounding settlements using tanks, mortars, rocket artillery and attack drones. Both countries share a border with China, while Tajikistan also shares a long border with Afghanistan. Elections are fought along the long stretch of border separating the two former Soviet states.
Clashes in April 2021 killed more than 50 people and raised the prospect of a wider conflict. Central Asian border issues largely stem from Soviet times, when Moscow sought to divide the region between groups that often lived among other ethnic groups. Kyrgyzstan reported 13 additional deaths in fighting late Sunday, bringing the total to 46. The former Soviet state also said that 102 people were injured in the attack. Earlier, Kyrgyzstan said it had evacuated some 137,000 people from the conflict zone. The government has declared 19 September as a day of mourning for the victims. Kyrgyz media, which called the conflict an invasion, reported on Sunday that some evacuees were starting to return to their homes. Tajikistan said on Sunday that 35 people had been killed. It has not indicated any mass evacuation.
Tajikistan’s foreign ministry said Kyrgyzstan continued a media campaign against them, adding that Kyrgyz President Sadir Zaparov used the word “enemy” to refer to Tajikistan in his Saturday address. The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Zaparov and Tajikistan’s veteran President Emomali Rahmon on Sunday. His office said in a statement that Putin urged parties to defuse tensions and take measures to resolve the situation “as soon as possible, preferably by peaceful, political and diplomatic means”.
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tags: tajikistan
First Published: September 19, 2022, 01:14 IST
