After the border conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the conflict has started between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in Central Asia. The fierce fighting of the army is going on on the border of the two neighboring countries. At least 27 people have been killed so far. All the dead were civilians. At least 87 others were injured.
Conflict between the two former Soviet states is a regular occurrence in Central Asia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the conflict between these two countries has continued. According to a report by Turkish media TRT World, the conflict started again this week. But on Friday (September 16) it reached an alarming level. Heavy tanks, artillery and rocket launchers are used in the battle between the forces of both sides. Panic spread across the border at the sound of gunfire.
Tajik fighters launched a rocket attack on Batken, the regional capital of Kyrgyzstan. The country's emergency ministry said, "to avoid casualties in the intense conflict, the authorities have safely evacuated 1 lakh 36 thousand civilians from the border area".
Kyrgyzstan alleges that Tajik troops first fired at their border post. In response, the Kyrgyz army also fired back. Meanwhile, Tajikistan authorities blamed the Kyrgyz side for starting the conflict.
On Saturday (September 17), Al Jazeera reported, citing the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health, that at least 24 people were killed in the week-long conflict in Kyrgyzstan. On the other hand, at least three people have been killed in Tajikistan. Apart from this, at least 87 others were injured. 20,000 people have been evacuated from the conflict-affected areas.
The cause of the ongoing conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan remains unclear. However, the two countries attempted a ceasefire to stop the conflict, but it quickly failed. A meeting was also held between the top officials of the two countries.
Both sides have agreed to establish a joint monitoring group as part of their efforts to end hostilities. Despite this, it has been reported from various sources that the border clashes are continuing.
In a statement, Kyrgyz border guards said their forces were repelling Tajik attacks. They are constantly shelling. Intense clashes are going on in some areas.
Tajikistan counter-accused and claims that the Kyrgyz forces are strengthening their position. Besides, there was heavy firing in three border villages along our border.
Meanwhile, the death toll in this week's border clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan has exceeded 200. Officials from both countries confirmed this information on Friday (September 16).
It is the worst since the military conflict two years ago. The armies of the two countries last clashed in 2020 over control of the border region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
On Tuesday (September 13), the conflict broke out again on the border of the two neighboring countries. Three days later, on Thursday (September 15), Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to an internationally mediated ceasefire. However, both sides are blaming each other for the conflict.
On Friday (September 16), Armenia said at least 135 of its soldiers had been killed in clashes with Azerbaijan. On the other hand, Azerbaijan released the new number of casualties and said that the number of casualties increased from 71 to 77.
