Does Tajikistan use tanks?
New skirmishes on the Kyrgyz border
09/16/2022, 8:47 am
In new clashes between Tajik and Kyrgyz security forces at the border between the two countries, a civilian dies and several others are injured. Both sides accuse each other of opening fire. The situation remains unstable.
The conflict on the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan continues to escalate. Both sides accuse each other of attacking with heavy weapons. The Kyrgyz border guard said Tajik security forces had opened fire. Clashes broke out along the entire border. The Tajik side also used tanks.
Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Dschaparow (l) in Samarkand with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
(Photo: IMAGO/ITAR-TASS)
Tajikistan in turn accused Kyrgyz forces of attacking a Tajik border post and seven villages with heavy weapons. According to the authorities in the town of Isfara, a civilian was killed and three others injured. In recent years, there have been repeated conflicts on the border between the two ex-Soviet republics that are allied with Russia.
In view of the Ukraine war and the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which has also flared up again, the current violence is under a different sign. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon are both currently attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan.
Crisis talks in Samarkand?
Founded in 2001, the Shanghai Group now includes Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and, more recently, Iran. The meeting will primarily deal with issues such as security and intensified economic relations. It is unclear whether the situation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border is also being discussed.
As part of the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. Iran, which is also attending the summit, hopes to upgrade its previous SCO observer status to permanent membership.