Kyrgyz Border Guards Say Tajik Military Opened Fire At Kyrgyz Village

Tajikistan's military have opened fire at residential houses of the Kyrgyz village of Arka, a spokesperson for the Kyrgyz border guard service told Sputnik

BISHKEK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st May, 2021) Tajikistan's military have opened fire at residential houses of the Kyrgyz village of Arka, a spokesperson for the Kyrgyz border guard service told Sputnik.

"As of 12:45 p. m. [06:45 GMT] on May 1, 2021, the situation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border remains tense. Tajik servicemen opened fire at residential houses of Kyrgyz nationals in Arka area, Leilek district, Batken province. Residents of the village have been previously evacuated," the spokesperson said.

According to him, border units of Kyrgyzstan took up defensive positions.

There have been no comments from the Tajik side so far.

The armed conflict over demarcation between border areas of the Batken region of Kyrgyzstan and the Sughd region of Tajikistan erupted on Thursday, leaving dozens of people dead and more than 150 others injured. Kyrgyzstan announced a ceasefire on Thursday evening, which Tajikistan agreed to. The sides said they would pull troops and military equipment from the border and back to the places of their permanent deployment. On Friday, armed clashes resumed, however, later the sides coordinated yet another ceasefire.