Two Tajik citizens killed, ten injured in conflict with Kyrgyzstan

The committee reported that two Tajik citizens were killed during the conflict on the border with Kyrgyzstan – a local resident hit by a mortar shell “launched by Kyrgyz servicemen into his yard” and a driver of a local hospital’s ambulance killed while rescuing local residents in a “mortar explosion by the Kyrgyz side.”

As a result of the border conflict, on the Tajik side, 10 people were wounded, including six servicemen and four civilians.

According to Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security, currently, the situation on the state border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is stable, a joint commission of the appropriate structures of both sides is analyzing the reasons and facts of the border conflict.

It is noted that after reviewing and discussing the armed border conflict, the sides declared a ceasefire until 08:00 (10:00 Moscow time) on January 28, 2022, in order to move all additional forces and equipment to the sites of permanent deployment.

Kyrgyzstan’s border guards also said on Friday envoys of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have agreed to cease fire and to pull back their additional forces, deployed in the area of the latest border conflict.

“Agreements on full ceasefire and on each side’s pullback of additional personnel and equipment deployed near the border, have been reached,” the Border Service of Kyrgyzstan’s National Security Committee added.

The two states also agreed to reopen the Batken-Isfana highway and to carry out joint patrols in border areas.

Kyrgyz border guards announced that during the meeting, delegations of the two states also visited Tort-Kocho, an area where a conflict between servicemen of the two states broke out on Thursday.

According to the border service of Kyrgyzstan, the conflict emerged in the area of Tort-Kocho. The incident was first settled, but later, it broke out with renewed vigor.

Kyrgyzstan accused Tajikistan of using mortars and grenade launchers during the conflict, saying that its neighbor was deploying military hardware near the border. Tajikistan also accused Kyrgyzstan of using mortars and drones and reported civilian casualties on its territory.