DUSHANBE, January 13, 2014, Asia-Plus — Radio Liberty’s Kyrgyz Service reports that according to Kyrgyz officials, five Kyrgyz border guards, one Kyrgyz policeman, and two Tajik border guards were hospitalized with injuries on January 11 after tensions escalated into exchanges of gunfire along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border.
Reports indicate an argument broke out between the Kyrgyz and Tajik border guards when the Tajik guards demanded Kyrgyz construction workers halt work on a road in a disputed area of the two countries” border.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reports that the head of the Chorkuh council in the Tajik northern district of Isfara, Nematboy Olimov, provided this version of events.
“The Kyrgyz border guards brought seven machines and started working and made people angry. Yesterday, they said that they would not continue construction and no machines would be here but they did not fulfill their promise and destabilized the situation,” Olimov said.
“They started shooting first, using snipers. They hit one of our soldiers and forced our troops to respond.”
Meanwhile, the head of border protection in Kyrgyzstan”s southern Batken province, Adybek Nabiyev, said the Tajik side created the problem and started the shooting, the RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported.
“Around 1 p.m. a disturbance began and we sent additional forces. The gunfire has stopped and border guards from both sides are having talks,” Nabiyev said.
“Tajik border guards came up to our water-distribution station and [the Kyrgyz and Tajiks] started to argue. Then the Tajik head of special forces opened fire and our commander of forces was shot in the stomach.”
Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister in charge of security matters Tokon Mamytov said Tajik border guards also fired mortars and grenade launchers at the Kyrgyz guards. Mamytov said fragment of the shells and one unexploded shell were found at the scene of the violence.
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Jantoro Satybaldiyev said he had sent a note of protest to Tajikistan”s Foreign Ministry over the incident. Tajikistan”s Foreign Ministry released a statement later in the day that blamed the Kyrgyz side for starting the problem.
