Tajik, Kyrgyz border guards brawl on disputed land
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 5 June 2018 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Tajik, Kyrgyz border guards brawl on disputed land, 5 June 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc04e99a.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
June 05, 2018 10:32 GMT
By RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, RFE/RL's Tajik Service
Clashes and shootings are common along the borders between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
BISHKEK – Tajik and Kyrgyz border guards have brawled on disputed land on the two Central Asian neighbors' border, officials from both countries say.
Kyrgyzstan's Border Guard Service said the incident took place in the Leilek district in the country's southern Batken region on June 5, after Kyrgyz vendors started selling goods on a disputed part of the border.
Kyrgyz border guards briefly detained three armed Tajik border guards following the brawl that involved shooting.
Nobody was hurt.
The deputy governor of the adjacent Tajik region of Sughd, Rustam Rahmatzoda, told RFE/RL that Kyrgyz authorities released the three Tajik border guards following negotiations between officials from the two countries.
Rahmatzoda added that the situation along the border was calm and under control of both the Tajik and Kyrgyz authorities.
The governors of Batken and Sughd regions are expected to hold talks on the matter later on June 5.
Clashes and shootings are common along the borders between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
The three countries' borders meet in the densely populated Ferghana Valley.
Large portions of the borders between Central Asian states have been under dispute since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website