Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border clashes: death toll rises to 81

Asia-Pacific, News September 18, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Armed clashes broke out between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on September 14, 2022, after Bishkek accused Tajik security forces of crossing the Bulak-Bashy border into Kyrgyzstan’s Batken region.

According to a statement released by the Kyrgyzstan ministry of defense, Tajik security personnel crossed into their borders and “took up combat positions.” In response, Kyrgyz troops opened fires and the shootout resulted in several deaths from both sides. Similar armed clashes also took place in the Kak-Sai and Pasky-Aryk areas of the Batken Region.

Tajikistan has claimed that at least 35 of its citizens have been killed due to the shelling and firing from the Kyrgyz forces while Kyrgyzstan claims that the death toll on their side of the border is 46. Both sides have reported that at least 139 people have been injured due to the ongoing border clashes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held calls with the leaders of the two former Soviet Republic countries on September 17. He called on the leaders from both sides to “take steps to resolve the situation as soon as possible by exclusively peaceful, political and diplomatic means.”

The border clashes between the two sides started earlier this week and escalated to the point where both sides have started using tanks, artillery, and rocket launchers to fire shells at each other. Tajik force fired rockets at Kyrgyzstan’s regional capital Batken which resulted in some civilian deaths. Kyrgyzstan’s emergency response agencies have reported that at least 136,000 people have been evacuated from the area.

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon and his Kyrgyz counterpart Sadyr Japarov met during the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) leader’s summit 2022 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. A ceasefire was reported as a result of the meeting between the two leaders. The administration of Tajikistan’s affected northern Sughd province said tensions were easing in the border area. “As a result of meetings between Tajik and Kyrgyz delegations the situation on the border is stabilizing, people are returning to normal life,” it said in a statement. Soon after the SCO summit concluded, the ceasefire between the two sides was broken and the clashes continues.

*^{Kyrgyz soldiers patrolling an area on the border with Tajikistan. (Image Credit: David Trilling/Euroasianet)}*

At this point, it is unclear what exactly prompted the current border clash between the two Central Asian countries. Earlier in 2021, a similar border clash between the two forces started due to the water distribution issues and the installation of surveillance cameras at the border. The clashes escalated quickly and resulted in the death of at least 55 people.

The Spokesman to Secretary-General of the United Nations Stephane Dujarric called on the leadership of the two countries to engage in dialogue for a lasting cease-fire. “Both sides should take full advantage of the existing mechanisms on the ground to defuse tensions,” he said.

Both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are members of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and hold Russian military bases. The current border dispute comes at a time when the Russian forces are already occupied in Ukraine while similar disputes are rising between Armenia and Azerbaijan nearby. It would be hard for Russia to carry-out peacekeeping operations between the two countries if the situation escalates any further.