Islamabad:18 Sep 2022 -The Department of Information and Communications of the Border Guard Service of the SCNS of the Kyrgyz Republic reports that as of 8:30 a.m September 18, 2022 the situation at the Kyrgyz-Tajik section of the state border in Chon-Alay District of Osh Region and in Batken Region continues to be tense.
The night of September 17 to 18 passed quietly, without incidents.
Border guard units of SCNS of the Kyrgyz Republic deployed on the Kyrgyz-Tajik part of the state border are serving in an enhanced mode.
The country’s leadership is taking all measures to stabilize the situation, prevent attempts of escalation and provocations of conflicts and to resolve issues in a peaceful way.
The leaders of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan met Friday 17 Sep and ordered their forces to withdraw after deadly clashes along their disputed border raised fears of all-out conflict between the Central Asian nations.
Their meeting at SCO summit of regional leaders in Uzbekistan came as Russia offered to mediate and called for “urgent” measures to halt fighting that left dozens injured and several dead.
Fighting regularly flares up between the two countries that share a 970 kilometre-long (600- mile-) border, with around half of the frontier contested. In 2021, unprecedented clashes between the two sides killed 50 people.
The Kyrgyz presidency said in a statement after Friday’s meeting that the two leaders “agreed to instruct the relevant structures to cease fire and withdraw forces and assets from the line of contact”.
They gave the orders after officials in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, said security chiefs in the two mountainous states had agreed to a ceasefire beginning at 1000 GMT Friday.
“The intensity of shelling has dropped sharply, but in some areas along the border, the Tajik military periodically fires at Kyrgyz positions,” Kyrgyzstan’s border service said after the deal was reached.
The two leaders during their meeting in the eastern Uzbek city of Samarkand also agreed to speed up work of a commission tasked with clearing up the border disagreements, the Kyrgyz statement said.
Bishkek had accused Tajikistan’s forces of escalating the fighting by firing rockets on the border town of Batken, with a population of around 30,000 people in the southeast of the country.
Central Asian power brokers Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were also in attendance at the summit in Uzbekistan.
Russia’s foreign ministry repeated an offer to oversee talks between the countries as the ceasefire was announced and asked them to negotiate an end to the dispute.
“We call on both sides to take urgent and comprehensive measures to bring the situation to political and diplomatic channels and to stop any attempts at escalation including by provocations from third parties,” the foreign ministry said.
Both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikstan blamed each other for the fighting. They each said the other had used heavy weapons.
Kyrgyzstan said civilian infrastructure in Batken and its airport had been hit by Tajik multiple rocket launcher systems.
Earlier, the border guard service said “violent clashes” had broken out “along the entire perimeter” of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border in the Batken region.
It accused Tajikistan of using heavy weapons, including jets, but said its forces were repelling the attacks, “making it impossible for them to capture settlements in Kyrgyzstan”.
The health ministry said 42 people had been injured and that medical facilities in the border region of Batken had been put on alert. It appealed to border-region residents to donate blood.
Tajikistan accused Kyrgyz forces meanwhile of opening fire early Friday with “intensive” shelling of homes and civilian infrastructure. It did not give information about casualties.
Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing official sources, however reported that one Tajik border guard was killed and three more were injured.
Kyrgyzstan said it was launching civilian evacuations from the border region. The latest fighting has raised fears of yet another conflict in the ex-Soviet region with clashes this week between Armenia and Azerbaijan leaving more than 200 dead.
Chronology of events (14-17 September): Shared by Government of Kyrgyzstan
On 08.00, 14.09.2022, Tajikistan invades Kyrgyz Republic border with heavy weaponry on the Kyrgyz-Tajik section of the state border. In the Bulak-Bashy area, two servicemen of the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic were injured. They received medical assistance.
12:40, 09/14/2022 The situation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik section of the state border in the Bulak-Bashy area continues to be tense. But the shooting was ceased.
14:40, 09/14/2022 in the Kak-Sai area of the Batken region, the exchange of fire between the border units of the Parties was stopped.
16:20, 09/14/2022 On the area of Batken district, a meeting of delegations of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, headed by the leaders of the Batken region of Kyrgyzstan of the Sughd region of Tajikistan, began.
At 06:00, 09/16/2022, the Tajik side began shelling the border detachments of the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic and the positions of the Kyrgyz side in the areas of Eki-Tash, Chir-Dobo and Kum-Mazar and Orto-Boz from small arms and group weapons.
At 06:30, 09/16/2022, the Tajik side began mortar shelling at the area of the Kok-Tash border outpost of the Batken border detachment.
08:25, 09/16/2022 The Tajik side began shelling the areas of Kulundu, Maksat and Zhany-Zher in the Leilek district of the Batken region.
10:15, 09/16/2022, To cease fire and prevent the escalation of the conflict, telephone conversations were held between the Director of the Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic Major General Ularbek Sharsheev and the Commander of the Border Troops of the State Committee for National Security of the Republic of Tajikistan Colonel General Rajabali Rahmonali on a ceasefire for a meeting. During the talks, the heads of the border agencies agreed on a ceasefire from 10:00 a.m. for a meeting.
IN the period of 8:30 – 10:00 on September 16, 2022, the Tajik side did not commit to the agreements
14:00, 09/16/2022 Tajik soldiers occupied the school building in the village of Dostuk, Batken district.
The servicemen of Tajikistan open fire at the settlements of the border villages, using civilians as a “human” shield, the Tajik side suffers heavy losses among the civilian population. The PS of the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic fired at the border outposts “Lyakkan” and “Bogdari” of the State Committee for National Security of the Republic of Tajikistan and destroyed a significant amount of heavy equipment of the Tajik side.
17.00, 16.09.2022 of the Republic of Tajikistan, people in unknown uniforms and without identification marks belonging to none of the sides take part in the clashes.
17:04, 09/16/2022 following the meeting of the heads of the State Committees for National Security (GKNB) of Kyrgyzstan – Kamchybek Tashiev and Tajikistan – Saimumin Yatimov, an agreement was reached on a complete ceasefire on the state border line
10/17, 09/16/2022 President Sadyr Japarov held talks with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon on the situation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik section of the state border on the sidelines of the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, held in Samarkand (Uzbekistan). The leaders of the two countries agreed to give the orders to the relevant government agencies to cease fire and withdraw forces and assets from the line of contact.
17.54 In Batken, a 15-year-old girl was killed as a result of shelling.
9:00 pm
In Batken region, 136,000 people have been displaced. These are residents of Batken and Razakov towns and Batken and Leilek districts.
The evacuation of the residents of the village of Zhekendi in Chon-Alai district of Osh region is also underway.
Fuel and lubricants, oil, flour, sugar and other items have been provided by the State Depository of Batken Oblast.
10:20 pm
Tajik servicemen started firing at the Tamdyk border outpost of the Kyrgyz Border Guard Service.
11:30 pm
The situation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik section of the state border remains tense.
Kyrgyz positions continue to be shelled from the Tajik side, and intense fighting is taking place in some areas.
11:30 pm
The movement of additional forces, heavy and vehicular equipment to the borders of the Kyrgyz Republic has been recorded on the territory of Tajikistan.
12:10 to 12:40 am
Major General U.Sharsheev, Director of the State Border Guard Service of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Colonel General R.Rahmonali, his Tajik counterpart, met at Guliston-Road border control post.
As a result of the meeting, the following agreements were reached:
– during the night until 9:00 am on 17 September 2022, the heads of regional departments of the border guard agencies should personally oversee preventing provocations and shootings on the Kyrgyz-Tajik section of the state border in Batken oblast;
– In order to coordinate activities, a joint operational taskforce consisting of heads of territorial departments of the security services, border agencies and law enforcement bodies will continue its work at the Guliston- Road checkpoint.
01:30 am
Twenty-four Kyrgyz citizens have been killed by Tajikistan’s shelling. According to preliminary data from the Ministry of Health, many bodies were received by healthcare organizations in Batken region.
September 17, 2022.
02:30 am
The situation at the Kyrgyz-Tajik section of the state border in Batken oblast is described as tense.
02:35 am
During the ceasefire, citizens of Tajikistan started burning their own houses in the settlement of Bogdari.
08:00 am
The situation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik section of the state border is characterized as tense, however, with signs of stabilization. The night passed quietly, without incidents.
08:50 am
Having violated earlier agreements, the Tajik side fired mortars at the village of Pasky Aryk in the Batken region.
8:55 am
The shelling stopped.
09:00 am
The number of injured Kyrgyz citizens as a result of the armed clashes at the border has risen to 87.
The injuries are mainly shrapnel and gunshot wounds.
09:00 am
The situation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik section of the state border is described as tense.
