08:23     30 April 2021    

The number of Kyrgyz nationals who died in the recent clash on the border with Tajikistan has increased to 13, the Kyrgyz Health Ministry told TASS Friday.

The number of Kyrgyz nationals who died in the recent clash on the border with Tajikistan has increased to 13, the Kyrgyz Health Ministry told TASS Friday. "Thirteen citizens of the republic died during the conflict on the border with Tajikistan," a spokesperson for the ministry said. According to her, 134 people were injured on the Kyrgyz side. The ministry also notes that 25 injured people were rushed to Bishkek hospitals, two of them are in critical condition. The situation on the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan near the Golovnoy water intake facility escalated on April 28, after a conflict sparked between residents of the two countries’ border areas. On April 29, a firefight between Kyrgyzstan’s and Tajikistan’s military servicemen broke out. Both sides have reported injuries among their officers. According to Bishkek, Tajik military servicemen used machine guns and mortars during the firefight. Bishkek also accused Dushanbe of attempting to seize the water intake facility. On the evening of April 29, the sides agreed to establish a ceasefire and withdraw their military units to their places of permanent assignment. The length of the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is about 980 kilometers. Dozens of disputed sections remained along the border following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The last meeting of the demarcation commission was held in March 2021, and the delegations were led by the chairmen of the State Committees for National Security of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. At some sections, disputes and conflicts arise from time to time between residents of the border areas.